Acid Tongue
by raaaaaaek
Summary: The times are changing and surprising things are around the corner. The main characters of this story are Bellatrix & Hermione, but many others will pop up.
1. In the Velvet Darkness

It was nearing the early hours of the morning as Hermione lazily walked the dark streets alone. She had never been one to fancy sleep, but rathered staying up and exploring the innards of her mind. It was summer, the season she loved and hated. On one hand, she had time to spend with her family and dive into her studies with peace and quiet. She was free to do what she wanted when she wanted, which she liked quite a bit. But on the other hand, she was away from her best friends Ron and Harry and rarely heard from them through letters. To be honest, she was worried. Not for Harry, but for Ron too. Not hearing from them for months at a time got on her nerves but she knew it was because they were lazy boys – not because they felt like ignoring her. Once in a while she would get a letter that was one or two lines from Ron, quickly updating her on the latest happenings around the Burrow or how his mother is driving him mad in a few awkward lines. She learned to become satisfied from these short scribblings, but her neurotic mind still caused her to worry quite often.

The heat had been stifling that day and by the sound of the pure silence ringing throughout the neighborhood; it was easy to tell that everyone was taking advantage of the cool air to get some sleep. Tonight Hermione felt more alone than usual, but strangely content. The night time was when her mind wandered the most, when she allowed the walls of restriction to come down where her mind could freely travel. This summer Hermione was coming into her sixth year, and this summer everything was different. She not only had to simply worry about Harry's health at the Dursley's, but to fear for his life due to the happenings they had just gone through a few weeks ago. The entirety of their fifth year was action packed – much more than usual. This year Hermione witnessed first-hand what Harry was dealing with. Dumbledore's Army had been formed and it had been quite a productive, yet scary year for all of them.

As these thoughts ran through her head, Hermione routinely made a left turn into an alleyway – the alleyway where she spent most of her nights. Immediately she veered right and sat down on the grassy ground in front of an abandoned garage, her favorite and usual spot. The alleyway was pitch back with just one street lamp at the end furthest away from her. She usually didn't mind the darkness so much, but her mind was troubling her so she pulled out her wand and whispered a quiet "_Lumos_". The tip of the wand ignited with a light that just came short of being too bright to go unnoticed, and she stuck the end of her wand into the soft ground beside her.

A sigh softly escaped her as she closed her eyes, feeling the cool air dance around her. The leaves in the surrounding trees gently rustled and the stars twinkled above her, dancing around the black sky. On these relaxing summer nights she often liked to close her eyes and be transported to the past, re-living the happenings at the Ministry of Magic vividly in her mind. They had over-all been victorious, but the battle had not gone by without a very particular casualty.

Harry's godfather, Sirius Black, had been killed by the Death Eater that was none other than Bellatrix Lestrange. Sirius had been the one bit of family that Harry had found short ago in his third year, and was cruelly taken away from him much too soon. Harry had been so happy to have someone like Sirius in his life and he loved him with all his heart. The relationship that they had was wonderful and both Ron and Hermione were overflowing with joy for the camaraderie that Harry had found in Sirius. He was even able to feel closer to his parents in a way with the stories that Sirius would share not only with Harry – but will all of them. It was a happy time, those few years, but unfortunately that chapter was over and they had left that school term with heavy hearts.

Hermione now had a better understanding of what Harry was up against, Voldemort himself, and had even been in the same establishment with the Dark Lord and battled his Death Eater cronies. She was now a part of something that was much bigger than her, much bigger than any of them. She didn't necessarily understand it thoroughly (not that she'd admit that out loud to anyone), but she had a bigger appreciation for it and for Harry; for ALL of her classmates that were involved, and trusted Harry with his powers and decisions now that she saw him in action. This wouldn't mean that she would ever stop worrying about him, and she wasn't going to change her nagging ways but that was the way she showed him she cared. Harry didn't seem to ever mind her help anyway and she sometimes found him actually coming to her for help. She liked it that way, helping on the sidelines and making sure he was prepared. She was proud of herself, of him, and of Ron. They were the three musketeers through and through and these experiences only made their bonds stronger.

These bittersweet thoughts caused a smile to cross Hermione's face. She knew that Harry would learn to get by. Sirius would never be forgotten, and he did not die in vain. He taught Harry so much and gave him so much love. It would be expected for Harry to be heartbroken, but Hermione knew that once this was all over, once Voldemort was conquered and they all had lives of their own the stories of these battles and of Sirius would be passed on to each of their children and that is what mattered the most. A content sigh now escaped Hermione and she opened her eyes to look up at the twinkling stars. She felt better now that she had sorted throughout her thoughts and a feeling of ultimate relaxation washed over her. But this relaxation didn't last long.

All of a sudden the wind was becoming anything but gentle. The rustling leaves soon turned violently against each other, striking Hermione as a bit too fast for a weather change. A twinge pinged in her stomach and she slowly moved her eyes from left to right, scanning the alleyway and the space around her. Hermione wasn't shy to strange things, but the dark was fleeting and she knew of the dangers out in the world. The wind continued to grow stronger and the young witch could not shake the feeling that she was no longer alone in this alleyway.

"Hmm, it's getting late anyway. I should be heading home," she told herself. The clouds picked up their pace in the sky and finally revealed the moon, shedding some extra light as she gathered herself. Her wand tip had been relinquished and she shoved it back in her pocket where she usually carried it when she was out and about this late. Another twinge ran throughout her body, stopping her from turning around and exiting the alleyway. She was facing the old abandoned garage frozen in darkness, becoming more cautious and preparing herself for something to reveal itself from the darkness. She slowly craned her neck to one side then the other, peering on the side and almost behind the garage to see if anyone was there. A small chuckle came from her as she shook her head, rolling her eyes at herself. "Stop it, Hermione. You're just being foolish," she told herself, patting her right pocket to reassure herself that her wand was there and she was secure. The wind had slowed down and was back to being harmlessly playful and this caused her to feel at ease.

Just then, a heavy thud sounded from behind her, like feet stomping on the ground. Before she could react, she felt heat from something behind her, and her left arm was twisted behind her back. Hermione attempted to turn around, struggling to move and expelling small whiny grunts as her arm was twisted more tightly behind her back. Her heart began to race, sending her blood flying throughout her body. She was frozen in her spot. The person making this thudding noise behind her chuckled before pressing firmly up against her.

"Looking for something, little girl?" said a familiar yet unidentifiable voice of a woman that seemed to be as sharp as razors. Hermione took in a breath of surprise and held it. She was in danger, and she had to get her wand. If she could only move her hand to her pocket to retrieve it without getting caught…

Her right forearm was met with a strong grasp and fingernails digging into her flesh. Hermione's teeth clenched and she shakily gasped at the sudden inflow of pain.

"Wh-who are you? And WHAT do you want with me?" Hermione demanded between gritted teeth.

"Mhmm," the woman laughed between pursed lips, "So many things, I want with you my dear. But for now, they must wait. I just peeked out for a little taste," she whispered hotly against Hermione's ear.

The young witch shuddered at the sound of her voice and the feeling of the hot air hitting her ear, wetting it while a wandering hand of the stranger ran up and down the left side of her body; caressing the bare skin on her arm and the curve of her waist. She tried to move again but she was still stuck. Her left arm seemed to be paralyzed against the woman's figure pressing up against her back, and it felt that the grip and the nails going into her flesh were only getting deeper. She then began to feel the blood trickling down to her hand, running down her fingers only to quietly _pit-pat_ onto the asphalt. Her eyes closed and she finally succumbed to the stranger's strong-hold, going limp in her clutch. This produced a chuckle. She felt the woman's chest rising and falling quickly against her.

"This may not be as difficult as I initially thought," she then heavily whispered, her voice still much like a lady's and her lips now brushing against the back of her bare neck. The moment the last word escaped, Hermione felt a tongue run across the spot where the lips had been. It slowly ran back and forth wetting her skin before retracting into the mouth behind her. Again the wind began to pick up, more furiously this time, and she thought she heard the once confidently dangerous stranger gasp.

"It seems our time is up," she said, sounding a bit babyish in a playful tone. The stranger paused for a moment, bringing her lips close to her ear again. Hermione was breathless. She felt weak, as if she was going to faint. The only way she could keep herself up was by leaning her head back against this woman which seemed to cause a rise out of her. Hermione could now feel the woman taking in her scent. Her chest rose slowly for a long amount of time before expelling a gust of hot air out of her mouth with a sigh of satisfaction. "I'll be seeing you again, my dear," she stated with a grin slowly growing across her plump lips. This statement was a little louder than the others she had shared with the girl and was filled with an emotion Hermione identified as excitement mixed with eagerness. The voice was so familiar, even the scent coming from the woman Hermione felt she could remember but could not place a face or name with these features. The only thing her mind could focus on was breathing, taking the cool air into her lungs and then expelling it with hopes of staying conscious and in less danger than she would be if she were to pass out.

In a sudden movement Hermione now found herself on the ground. Her arms were lying limp on either side of her, both in pain. The woman hovered there for a moment before taking off in a flash of green light going down the alleyway where soon another figure seemed to be chasing her. They took the wind with them and the only souvenir left behind was the bone chilling echo of a cackle that struck Hermione sharply and familiarly in the heart. Tears quietly streamed down her face but no sobs erupted, and she knew now. She was in danger.


	2. One Way or Another

**A/N: I just want to say thank you to the people who have read this, and especially to those who have reviewed it. Your kind words really encourage me to move along quickly, but I'm also excited to see how this story unfolds. I initially began writing it with Luna instead of Hermione, but found that Hermione's character would provide not only the reader but me, the writer, with more resistance, stubbornness and struggle against Bellatrix. She would also make the plot line more exciting which is what I'm looking for. I'm going to go off in unconventional ways and warp their sixth year to a way that better fits this situation and the story, so just a heads up incase you're reading further along and things don't add up right according to the books. Enjoy!**

All was quiet in the Granger household. Hermione had now started a new ritual of locking herself in her room at night with a book to keep her company and her mind busy, and to also learn new and more powerful defensive spells. It had been weeks since the incident in the alleyway had occurred and since then Hermione had been quiet and retracted from her family and even herself. She stopped going out at night in fear that the woman who she could now identify as none other than Bellatrix Lestrange would find her and harm her even worse this time. On Hermione's right forearm you could see minute scars, forever left there to give Hermione a reminder of that night. She had taken to wearing long sleeves for a while in fear that her parents would see the wound and open a can of worms. They had healed quickly and now Hermione found herself staring at the scars for hours at a time.

Summer had gone by quickly. It was now the night before she was to head off to the Weasley Burrow to spend the rest of her time with her two best friends and one of the greatest family's she had ever been welcomed into. She wasn't sure if she was going to tell Harry or Ron. If anything she would tell Harry first, he was definitely the saner of the two. But would he even believe her? What could they even make of that incident? While she was there, Bellatrix made her motive unknown but spoke freely that she wanted something, and that she would be back for it. She also stated that it would be easier to retrieve than she thought. This shook Hermione to the bone. She had always prided herself in being a smart witch, the top of her class. She was prepared for anything and everything and was one of the most knowledgeable people anyone could come in contact with. So what had happened that night? Why had she frozen in fear? That woman had KILLED Sirius, and Hermione couldn't even think of a jinx to spout out for self defense!? She was deemed helpless in that alleyway and luckily Bellatrix allowed her to escape. What would happen next time, though?

The entire occurrence haunted Hermione even in her dreams. She was now able to identify with Harry on some smaller level. Sure, she wasn't going up against the most evil creatures of all time, but Bellatrix was damn well near it. Not only did Bellatrix kill the one last family member Harry had left, but a long time ago she had harmed Neville's parents in a way that was so horrible it made Hermione's skin crawl every time it was brought up. This woman was possible of anything, she could be after anything. Hermione didn't know much except she had something that Bellatrix was currently after. She could come at any moment in time for it. Hermione was left clueless, and that was something that she crowned unacceptable.

A frustrated grunt followed by a book slamming shut echoed throughout Hermione's room. It was early morning again and she found herself hoping and praying light would come soon so she could be with her dear friends again, and finally be able to think of something else for a change. The young witch leaned back against the wall that her bed was pressed up against and closed her eyes for a moment as fresh air flowed through the open window, rushing over her skin and filling her nostrils with such a sweet scent of night during summertime. She opened her eyes which immediately saw something flash by the window. She could've sworn she had just seen a stream of green light fly by. She got up out of her bed and looked out the window, searching left and right, high and low, but found nothing.

"Stop worrying yourself. You're letting things get the best of you. Stay sane, just for this night and then everything will go back to normal and you will be safe," she calmly lectured herself. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly before turning her back to the window and heading for her bedroom door. A quick trip to the bathroom to brush her teeth and then she'd be off to bed – just so the hours would go by more quickly. Shutting the door behind her she made her way down the hallway and did her nightly routine and felt much more relaxed exiting the bathroom than she did entering. It was like that nighttime routine had verified that things would be okay soon, and she finally accepted and believed it.

Walking down the hallway towards her room, she felt the sleepiness finally hit her. Hermione was relieved that she would be able to get to sleep without a fight. Hermione lazily and thoughtlessly walked through her now open bedroom door. She paused once entering the doorway, frozen in her spot for a moment before slowly beginning to turn around when the door was slammed shut. She now seemed to be in the same predicament that she had been in when she was in the alley way, but with much more knowledge now.

Muffled noises came from the room as Hermione struggled to speak but her speech was blockaded by Bellatrix's hand pressing against her mouth. An ecstatic squeal came from behind her as she struggled in the Death Eater's arms.

"Oh, quiet down. I'm not going to hurt you…" Bellatrix began soothingly to Hermione. She paused for a moment, craning her neck around Hermione's head to look her in the eye before squeezing out "Much!" followed by a cackling laugh. Enraged, Hermione began to rustle in Bellatrix's arms twofold, but the pure-blooded witch was able to keep a steady hold on the young Mudblood.

A tidal wave of more muffled sounds came from behind her long, red tipped fingers. She pulled Hermione close to her to stop the struggling and quieted down before finally piecing together the strained noises coming from Hermione into a coherent sentence. Her blackened eyes seemed to light up and a smile grew on her face.

"What did I come here for?" Bellatrix said aloud for Hermione. As she spoke her words seemed to coil around each word, slowly constricting the life out of each one as she said them. "That's an easy one," she continued through gritted teeth. Her head retracted back behind Hermione, but the witch could feel the hot breath coming from behind her left ear along with the strained sounds of her heavy panting.

And then, a voice as cold as ice whispered something in her ear that made her heart stop.

"You."


	3. Black Hole

Hermione's eyes fluttered open to a fuzzy view. Her head was pounding and she was disoriented. As her eyes wildly opened and closed trying to get a focus on things everything began to come back to her. She was in a dark room, and could see nothing. _Bad dream. Bad, bad dream_, she thought to herself and she picked her head up from it's slumped over position. _Must've fallen asleep at my desk. Everything's fine_, she reassuringly told herself. In the attempt to rise from her chair to transfer to her bed, she found that things weren't as they had just seemed a moment ago. The young witch soon found that she couldn't remove herself from the chair and even more, she was horrifyingly tied to it, unable to move. Her bedroom encounter with Bellatrix hadn't been a dream. It had been very real, and now she was somewhere that she wasn't familiar with, tied to a chair in a dark room, vulnerable and as far as she could tell – very alone.

_What could she want with me? What do I have that is of any value to her? _Hermione wondered in the darkness. _Does she want to kill me? Is she going to use me to get to Harry? …Or does the Dark Lord want something and is just using his precious little messenger to do the dirty work?_

All these thoughts running through her head and she couldn't settle on a single one. Too many possibilities were at hand and the fact that she was sitting in a dark room, that she now identified as a basement due to its musky scent, possibly waiting for her demise to come was a little to nerve-wracking for Hermione.

_I'm going to have to just get out of here_, the determined young woman told herself. _No wand. Hands are tied behind my back. I'm stuck to this god-awful chair. This is going to take some time…and that's something I don't have_.

But she was willing to try anyway.

Barely audible grunts of struggle were coming from the room of solitude. Through the darkness if one listened close enough, sounds of Hermione attempting to shimmy her way out of her binds could be heard. Her heartbeat began to quicken as she felt the binds on her hands begin to slowly work its way down closer to the tips of her fingers…

Suddenly, she felt her head jolt backwards. A throbbing pain began at the back of her skull and it felt as though her hair might just rip out of her skull. Just then, a haunting laugh came from directly behind her that gave her chills down her spine. She wasn't alone anymore. Had she even been alone in the first place? Or was this Bellatrix's sick form of entertainment? Letting a victim think they have a shred of hope to escape only to tip the scales back in her favor at the last second.

With the short and quiet utterance of a word just before it, in a flash Hermione was visibly staring up into the face of Bellatrix Lestrange. If this had been only a short few years ago, Hermione would have been a mess. But now, after the things she had faced, she was able to keep her composure. Even with the icy stare Bellatrix was glaring down at her with. Her soulless, emotionless, truly black eyes could cause the next ice age with one glance.

Although Hermione was able to remain as calm as one would expect in this situation, Bellatrix could still hint to the true fear behind her eyes. This caused a horrifying grin to come across her deep red lips that revealed years of neglected oral care. The sight of this alone caused Hermione's stomach to churn – and the fact that her parents were dentists didn't help any either.

Hermione took prepping breath in and was just about to speak when she felt the grip on her hair tighten and her skull jolt back even further.

"Ah, ah, ah," Bellatrix shook her head while speaking in her hushed tone. The black eyed, black haired woman stooped down to Hermione's level to speak to her in an even lower tone. "You must know that we aren't the only occupants in this house. You are not to speak. If anyone is woken, I'm going to have to kill you," she told Hermione – adding a rather sarcastically disappointed tone to the ending statement. "And that just wouldn't be fun," Bellatrix finished before pushing her tongue out of her mouth to reach the warm skin of Hermione's right cheek. The young witch jumped in her chair at the sudden and disgusting contact. This caused a muffled version of the Death Eater's wicked laugh to erupt, but she calmed quickly.

"You see," she began, slowly making her way from the back of Hermione to the front while she spoke, easing her grip on her hair as she went, "being the Dark Lord's _number ONE servant_, it sometimes gets rather…lonely. Nobody to play with, that is." Her eyes seemed to light up at her last statement, now staring down at Hermione from the front. She jammed her knee in between Hermione's promptly tight together knees so that she was now placed in between the two. "So he's granted me permission to have a few… play-things now and then." An evil chuckle from deep in her throat was quietly heard and she leaned down so that she was now, quite literally, face to face with Granger.

"I've had my eye on you ever since the Ministry mishap," she whispered, her breath hot and wet against Hermione's tightly closed lips. Hermione's gaze didn't falter from the black stare of Bellatrix's, but if someone were to hold her close it would be easy to tell that she was shaking to the bone. "If you're as much fun as I believe you're going to be, I might even keep you around a bit."

During this last sentence, Bella's stare finally faltered down to Hermione's lips. The young witch's nerves were going crazy on the inside. Her heart rate was off the wall, and she felt as if she couldn't breathe through her nose fast enough. It was almost as if she was drowning on air. She finally succumbed to her body's wishes and loosely pursed her lips. Bellatrix saw her advantage and took it. With a quiet yet ravage growl she rushed forward and violently pressed her lips against Hermione's. This sudden action startled the bound girl, but she had nowhere to run off to.

It felt like a glimpse into forever before Bellatrix moved her head backwards from Hermione's. Both witches chests were rising and falling at a fast rate due to the lack of air, and each breath in the cool, dark basement felt wonderful. Hermione had no chance to regain her composure, a few moments of breathing and Bellatrix was back at it, except this time Hermione's lips were left bare. Her neck was the new object of Bella's attention. Disgusting, hot grunts were shooting from Bella's throat into Hermione's ear. The young witch attempted to move away the best she could, even the slightest distance between herself and Bellatrix would make her happy at this moment.

_Crack!_

Hermione's left cheek felt hot and she winced at the stinging pain. She had been hit with such a force that her mind was jumbled, as if all her thoughts had been knocked off their shelves because of the slap. All she knew is that she wanted, no; NEEDED, to go home. To go anywhere that was away from this horrible situation. She didn't know if she could stand another moment of this, or to see what was to come. She was afraid for her life and for her sanity. She couldn't even begin to comprehend what was happening. All she knew is that it was low, disgusting and wrong, and that she didn't like it one bit.

"You _filthy_ Mudblood," Bellatrix growled, snapping at Hermione's face. She then pointed her lit wand at Hermione's left arm. Without saying a word, it somehow slipped from the binding and slid out easily, floating lazily at Hermione's side. Bellatrix promptly grabbed the arm with her right hand while keeping her wand in her left and at her side. Her grip on Hermione's arm was crippling, and she loosened it up just enough to slide her hand from Hermione's forearm to her hand. She was now leaning in, closer than comfort for Hermione.

The Death Eater slowly moved Hermione's hand to touch the cloth dress in the area directly under her arm. She took her time in moving it down, gliding it over where the leather material of her underbust stitched leather corset met the dress – making Hermione caress her curves against her will. She then proceeded to double back moving upwards this time. Bellatrix moved Hermione's hand diagonally across the leather corset and stopped and her thick breathing quavered when she felt the young girl's hand pressed against her right breast.

"Grasp it," Bellatrix heavily whispered into her ear. Hermione was reluctant, simply sitting there with her head turned away from Bellatrix, eyes closed, attempting to get away in her mind and hope that her body would follow.

"Do it or I'll kill you now," Bellatrix threatened through gritted teeth. Hermione clenched down on her own set of teeth and squeezed her eyes tighter. She took a deep breath and held it, holding back the tears that wanted to desperately to burst out at this very moment. A second later her fingers slowly began to squeeze into the partly clothed flesh. A shuddering sigh of pleasure came from Bellatrix as she threw her head back, feeling the girl's tightening grasp.

Everything in Hermione's body was telling her to stop. To just stop listening to Bellatrix and let her kill her, because death couldn't be much worse than this. But there was this little sliver of something in the back of her brain that wouldn't allow her to do so. She had to keep going; if not for her life, than to live through this dreadful ordeal in order to come out alive and to continue to help Harry in his journey to destroy the ultimate evil and save the entire world from a nightmare universe.

A clanking sound rang throughout the dark basement for a moment as Bellatrix allowed her wand to hit the ground. She yanked Hermione's right arm from the bind that held it behind her back and clumsily hiked her filthy dress up above her knees in order to place Hermione's hand underneath to graze her bare thigh. She forced her hand to run up and down the length, reaching the nylon covered beginning of her knee to her waist and back again. As this was happening, Bellatrix slowly situated that she was straddling the young girl beneath her, pressing her torso up against the body in the chair.

By this time, both of Hermione's hands – working separately on different body parts – were moving without much guidance from Bellatrix. This pleased the witch very much, loosening her pressure on her hands gradually, and then finally setting them free. Hermione was still fixed to the chair, helpless in a strange place without a wand. There was not much she could do. In fact, there was nothing she could do except obey the orders that she was given and hope that she would be let free, or killed, very soon.

Bella's hands now found a new home, wrapped around Hermione's neck – gripping tightly, but not tightly enough to cause any real damage. She tilted Hermione's head backwards and then to the side, providing herself with a rather appealing bit of flesh to feast upon. This caused a sensation to run throughout Hermione that was for once, unidentifiable to her. She didn't know what to call it, but as she sat there disgusted with the woman now on top of her, she couldn't claim this sensation to be completely unpleasant.

"Good little Mudblood," Bellatrix breathlessly whispered into Hermione's ear. Hermione could almost suffocate against the matted hair of Bellatrix that was constantly being pressed against her face. She couldn't believe what she was about to do, but she had to keep telling herself – it was for the sake of the greater good.

Taking what seemed to be the thousandth deep breath of faith; her head dove under Bella's hair and reached the bare, pale skin of her neck. Without stopping to think, Hermione's mouth wetly began covering Bella's neck in sloppy patches. This caused Bella's eyes to widen in the darkness followed by a squeal of surprise and her signature dark chuckle. "Mm, you're better than I thought," she stated, pressing her lower body harder against Hermione. "You like this, don't you?" she rhetorically asked with words as sharp as razors. "Mmm, yes; you like this," Bellatrix decided aloud for Hermione. "But the fun hasn't even begun," she warned as her left hand reached under her tattered dress to find Hermione's, guiding it diagonally exactly as she did with the other one; but this destination was not to be the same as before.

This time, Hermione's right hand was placed directly between Bella's legs where she then learned that this certain dark witch fancied the freer option. Hermione had begun to, yet again, freak out. Was this actually happening? Had this situation escalated into this so quickly!? She had no knowledge of what to do and quite frankly didn't want to find out like this, or anytime soon for that matter.

"Go ahead," Bellatrix whispered through her grin.

Hermione paused for a moment. Go ahead … with WHAT!? She didn't know. This was it. She was going to be killed. She was going to be killed because she didn't know how to have sex. She knew what it was, but she didn't know the proper way to go about it! That piece of knowledge never seemed worthy enough for her to allow into her brain. She hadn't even begun to explore her own body yet!

"Go. Ahead," rang again in her ear.

Hermione trembled. She winced at what she was about to do.

"I… I don't know how," Hermione whispered as softly as possible. As soon as she arrived to consciousness she was told not to speak, but it was either that or do something wrong, make Bellatrix angry and be killed. Either way, death seemed like the ending result. She then closed her eyes and prepared her for the _Avada Kedavra!_ that she knew was in her near future.

But this seemed to amuse Bellatrix, this assumption gathered by the quiet yet equally eerie cackle.

"I must keep you around a little longer than anticipated…" she told Hermione, backing her torso away from the seated one she had been pressed up against for quite some time. She then craned her head downwards, looking Hermione directly in the eye. It could be slightly seen due to the still lit wand that was on the floor at their side, but nevertheless Hermione could **feel** Bella's stare on her.

Throughout all this time, the deranged look that was always in Bellatrix's eyes never left but now that Hermione could see it and feel it pounding into her skull, she was aware of it even more.

Bellatrix leaned in closely to Hermione's face, still staring her square in the eye.

This time her voice wasn't in a whisper. It was more of a hushed tone, yet her voice sounded as if she was simply speaking. She paused for a moment to stare at Hermione's frightened face one more time for another validation of her recent satisfaction before moving in to corrupt the witch a little more, snaking her tongue deep into her mouth. Hermione's tongue lay dead in her mouth, and in a seconds notice – without thinking – it began to move around, grazing Bella's darting tongue. Bellatrix then pulled away suddenly, surprised; but in a good way. Another grin grew on her face as she felt the wave of defeat coming from Hermione and snickered at how much joy it brought into her heartless soul.

"I see I have much to teach you," she said through her grin. Bella's left hand once again traveled underneath her dress to teach Hermione something she would never forget. And at that moment, a loud gasp of pleasure echoed throughout the basement.


	4. Hung Up

Hermione sat quietly in the shade of a tree, resting against it's enormous trunk while participating in one of her favorite activities: a bit of light reading. The breeze occasionally rustled the leaves and brought the sweet smell of summer dancing across her nostrils. She had been sitting in the same spot for almost three hours. For most of that time, Hermione continued to read the same line over and over again while her mind wandered to places and memories that she could not control.

It had been a few weeks since the incident: the one incident she didn't want to think about but couldn't keep her mind away from.

Hermione's heart began to quicken it's pace just thinking about it. It was horrifying, disgusting, degrading, and… exhilarating. Her own reaction to her recent experience caused a big of fright to rise up, but she continually reassured herself that her reaction was "just a part of human nature" and she "couldn't help herself". She shouldn't worry about it, because "it was nothing". She was more concerned with how she felt about the situation than whether she would have to go through anything like it again.

It hadn't been too bad at first. The Burrow kept her busy when she arrived, whether it was Ginny and sometimes Mrs. Weasley groaning over Fleur's stay, playing Quidditch with Harry, Ron, and Ginny in the Orchard or eagerly expecting their O.W.L.s (on which she had received ten 'Outstandings' and an 'Exceeds Expectations' in Defense Against the Dark Arts). But now the buzz of the Burrow had wound down and instead of listening to Ron's insane ramblings, she much preferred the quiet and serenity of being outdoors by herself, with a book.

She had much to think about still, even with all the activities over. Harry had told both Hermione and Ron about the Prophecy and the lessons he would be having that year with Dumbledore, but no matter what she would steer her mind towards, she would find herself thinking about the same thing. She couldn't bring herself to tell anyone about what happened. Who would actually believe her? In these dangerous times, who exactly would believe that the Death Eater Bellatrix Lestrange took Hermione into a dark room, had her way with her and then let her go? And even if Harry and Ron did believe her, could Harry ever forgive Hermione for not trying her best to avenge the death of his godfather? It would be much better if she just kept quiet, but how long would this memory haunt her and how long would it be until she was brought to her breaking point?

So many questions, so many things to think about from her encounters with Bellatrix. It haunted every single aspect of her life, even in her dreams she could not escape from her. She was forced to relive that experience in the dark basement. Bellatrix's grip on her arms... her red fingernails digging into her skin... her hot breath on her ear... her soft lips pressing up against her own... her smooth tongue sliding into her mouth...

The frizzy haired witch had begun to stare deeply into the book while these things ran through her mind, but she was soon interrupted from all of this and quite thankful for it.

"Wotcher, Hermione." It was the Auror Nymphadora Tonks – she had taken a liking to coming around lately. Her appearance was different from her light, bubbly, pink-haired self. She seemed a bit depressed lately and her mousy brown hair reflected that. Hermione had also gained knowledge that she had recently found trouble with her Metamorphosing.

Hermione looked up and managed a forced smile. "Hey Tonks."

The Auror took liberty to slide down the big tree trunk and sit on the ground next to Hermione. She brought her knees to her chest and sat there for a minute looking up at the darkening sky. A sigh escaped her lips and she started speaking.

"Is there something wrong?" Tonks asked, glancing sideways at Hermione for a moment. " I just stopped by to wish Harry a Happy Birthday, there's a nice celebration going on in there," she added.

Hermione closed the book and set it down on her lap, resting her hands against the book's cool surface. She found it rather strange that Tonks cared, and even noticed, that Hermione hadn't been acting herself for the past few weeks. But Tonks was a strange creature, and it was rather endearing in a sense. "Why would you think that?" Hermione blandly answered, hoping to avoid questioning altogether.

Tonks gave a chuckle. "Well, it's no secret that you're quite the bookwor – er … scholar, Hermione. You've been reading the same book, let alone the same page, for quite some time. Even Mrs. Weasley has noticed it," she replied, making eye contact with Hermione to which Hermione failed to return.

"Oh, it's nothing," Hermione reassured her. "I'm quite alright. Just a bit tired, I suppose. And of course, with everything going on, I've found it difficult to keep my mind focused on much." Thinking on her feet, or rather, _improvising_. She was surprised and rather proud of the answer she had thought up on the spot. Very believable.

"You mustn't spend too much time worrying about those things," Tonks replied, slightly nudging Hermione's shoulder with her own. "Dumbledore is on task and Hogwarts has top security this year to ensure that nothing goes wrong." She stood up and for the first time Hermione managed to look at the young Auror. She looked extremely worn out and her eyes were a bit red. Sympathy for the woman that stood before her suddenly rose in Hermione and a genuine smile appeared on her face for the first time in what felt like forever. Tonks held out her hand and Hermione grasped it and was pulled up onto her feet. "Hogwarts must be in good hands with an Auror like me assigned to monitor the grounds, eh?" she added with a smile.

The two of them started heading back to the Weasley household. Through the windows they could hear the merriment that was happening in the kitchen.

"You know, since we're on the subject, all of us couldn't help but notice that you haven't been acting exactly like yourself lately either," Hermione began. It was nice of Tonks to extend some kindness and inquire about her and felt that she should do the same. Hermione knew that Mrs. Weasley had been attempting to comfort Tonks about whatever had been bothering her for the past few weeks, but she knew that although she had the best intentions... Mrs. Weasley could be a bit... prying.

"Oh, it's nothing," Tonks replied after a few moments of awkward silence. "Just a silly something that I've been spending entirely too much time thinking about..."

"I know how that is," Hermione replied gravely, clutching her book to her chest. The two of them seemed to have something in common.

Just then someone appeared with a _pop!_ a few feet away from the Weasley household. Hermione could easily identify the worn out Lupin from their distance. As soon as he appeared she thought she heard a gasp coming from the woman beside her. Suddenly Tonks stepped in front of Hermione, facing her and laughing nervously. She rested her hands on Hermione's shoulders and looked into her eyes with her own watery globes. "I'm sorry for the sudden rush but I must be going now. It was quite lovely chatting with you, Hermione and I hope to see more of you throughout the year at Hogwarts. Remember if you need anything, I'm never too far." She ended her speech with a smile and a wink, which caused a tear to come streaming down her face.

The Auror turned around with much speed, almost tripping over her own two feet, before taking a few steps and vanishing.

Hermione stood there in the dimming sunlight, clutching the book to her chest, confused quite a bit. But she had no time to linger on that. It was her best friend's birthday and she had to stop thinking about herself and what she had experienced – at least for one night – and go in and join the festivities.

The young witch took a deep breath, spread a smile on her face, and continued walking toward the Burrow, the alluring sounds of laughter and Mrs. Weasley's homemade birthday cake teasing her senses as she walked through the door.


	5. Bad Habit

**A/N;** **I hope you guys don't mind Ch. 4 or this one. I suppose they're serving as little icebreakers to get my creative juices flowing again – can't immediately thrust myself back into the ultimate darkness that is Bellatrix Lestrange :) Enjoy!**

"Did you not think that I would find out about this sooner or later, Bella?" a snakelike voice whispered directly behind where the black haired Death Eater had seated herself. "Did you think you could fool me?!" it demanded. "This is **not** the time for foolishness! The Prophecy has been destroyed and circumstances that were unforeseen by me have shown themselves. There is no time for games." The lecture ceased for a moment. Bellatrix had yet to move a muscle in the uncomfortable wooden chair. Her long, bony fingers were wrapped around each arm tightly. The room was dimly lit but she managed to fix her gaze at the stone wall that was not even five feet away.

Ever since the night at the Ministry of Magic, the Dark Lord had been making Bellatrix feel worthless. She was his most loyal follower, she spent many years in Azkaban for him and still returned to his side more willing than ever. She devoted her entire self to him, and what did she get in return? Reprimanded, beat up, and threatened. Of course she was going to act out and not entirely follow his wishes. Especially after finding out that he had been sharing his plans with _Snape!_ She had spent some time trying to convince her Dark Lord that he was not a person to be trusted, but nothing good for her came out of it. She had spent that night being the Dark Lord's plaything, helpless against him. She thoughtlessly brought her right hand up underneath her left breast – the Dark Lord had given her a present that would remind her of that night forever. Sometimes, she thought she could still feel it burning...

He grabbed her by the hair and pulled her head back tightly so she couldn't move it. She could feel his breath, hot on her skin. Her breathing quickened and both hands were returned to their rightful spots, gripping the wooden arms of the chair. Her black fingernails were digging into the wood quite successfully and the skin on top of her knuckles turned so white it seemed to shine in the darkness. "I'm sorry my Lord," she said through clenched teeth. This was a quality that the Dark Lord liked in Bellatrix – she was fast to put up a fight. He had no doubt that she would be forever his, faithful until the day she died. She was one his best and favorites, so much anger welled up inside of her and ready to take it out on anyone he ordered. A low, throaty chuckle erupted from the Dark Lord and he tightened his grip on her. "Do I sense some hostility, dear Bella?" He thrust her head back a bit more. She let out a grunt and gripped the arms tighter. He could just feel the anger and fear dripping off of her.

Voldemort moved his head in closer to hers and inhaled deeply. "Is Bella jealous? Have I not been paying enough attention to my dear, sweet Bella?" With this, he thrust her head forward and moved so he was in front of her. "Am I going to have to dispose of my _dear, sweet_ Bella before she causes something else to happen without my command?!" His voice grew louder as he continued on.

Bellatrix immediately fell on her knees before him. "Please, my Lord! I am here to serve you," she begged. "I waited for your return all those years in Azkaban, I killed Sirius Black! Have I not always been on your side!?" she reminded him. "I live to serve you, my Lord. I am entirely yours," she said, looking up at the familiar snake-like face that she had missed for entirely too long.

Voldemort paused for a moment, looking down at Bellatrix and then straight ahead, holding his breath while in thought. "Get up," he ordered and she quickly scrambled to her feet. "I have just thought of something that we could make out of this mess that you've caused," he announced, letting his dagger-eyes rest on Bella's face. Her face lit up and her black eyes darkened even more with the thought of pleasing the Dark Lord, _her_ Dark Lord.

"Perhaps you've done good, Bellatrix. You may continue with the Granger girl until I direct you to do otherwise. You are to get information about the boy or anything else I may need when I tell you to, and only when I tell you to. You will not direct your business here unless I permit you to do so. Do you understand?"

Bellatrix was staring straight ahead. This meant her fun was practically over unless she had a death wish at the hands of the Dark Lord. She knew he would be watching her, testing her, making sure she did not step out of line. She felt an immense amount of pain on her left cheek and at the same time let out a bone-chilling cry. "You speak when spoken to, Bellatrix," Voldemort stated forcefully. "Now do you understand?" Bellatrix took a moment to look up at him through her narrowed black eyes, making it clear she did not agree with or like anything he was saying. An eerie smile appeared across his lips at this sight, revealing two rows of sharp teeth. He had always allowed her to have her fun when it was under his command, when she was completing a task that he sent her to do. But she was out of line and she needed to be put back in order, he couldn't risk having anything else go wrong at this point. "Yes, my Lord," she finally replied.

"You may go."

And with this, she pushed herself up out of the chair with such a force that it went flying backwards. With a flick of her wand the door unlocked and opened and she disappeared into the darkness. She was infuriated, and there was only one person who could fix that. She would follow the Dark Lord's orders and give him what she wanted. And she would have her fun, too. Oh, she would make damn sure of that.


	6. Lost

The day had finally come to return to Diagon Alley with the Weasley family along with Harry Potter to do their annual school shopping. Things had changed since Hermione's last trip to Diagon Alley. She could tell from the beginning. Ever since she had arrived Mrs. Weasley had been on edge, especially with all the hands of the family clock pointing at "mortal peril" no matter where they may be. Hermione had felt fairly safe during her stay at the Weasley household due to the random visits from Aurors which seemed to occur every day. It had been some time since her encounter with Bellatrix Lestrange, and the pain and fear had seemed to fade. She spent less time thinking about it and more time thinking about the year that was ahead of her. She was deemed a prefect, along with Ron, and Harry was the Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. A great, adventurous year was ahead of her and although they were in the beginning of extremely dark times, the young witch seemed extremely optimistic and dreamy. She was going to be at Hogwarts soon. She would be under the protection of Dumbledore, a man she respected and trusted entirely along with extremely talented Aurors. What happened that past summer was what it was and Hermione believed that she was finally ready to move on. She was sure that her work was going to keep her busy, and she could always expect the unexpected with two best friends like Harry Potter and Ron Weasley.

"Hermione, dear!" The sudden break of silence startled her. It was Mrs. Weasley. "Come on now, the Ministry car has arrived!" Hermione darted downstairs and out the door with Mrs. Weasley hot on her tail to the car the Ministry had provided specifically for the protection of her best friend. Their car stopped outside of the Leaky Cauldron where they learned that they were to be escorted during their shopping by their good friend, Hagrid. Throughout all the hubbub and the Ministry Officials and the cold shoulders, all three friends found it fantastic that they were able to spend a few hours with the big teddy bear, ensuring their safety.

They entered Diagon Alley and immediately a chill ran down Hermione's spine. The once cheerful place had turned into a dark, dismal reminder of what was going on around them. Diagon Alley was bare. The store-fronts were covered with Ministry posters and photographs of well-known Death Eaters were scattered on the windows throughout. A black blur caught Hermione's eye and she jerked her head to the left to stare a wildly laughing, black-and-white photograph of Bellatrix Lestrange just five feet from her. Instinctively she grabbed the hand of the person next to her and squeezed it tightly. She soon felt a nudge in her arm and turned her head to see Harry with a confused look on his face.

"You alright, Hermione?" he asked with a concerned tone.

Hermione laughed and released his hand which she had just noticed she'd been holding. "Oh, yeah. It's a bit strange being here and it looking like this, isn't it? It's so quiet... it's so... eerie."

"Yeah, I guess," he replied with a shrug, not thinking too deeply into it. "C'mon, we're going to Madam Malkin's for some new dress robes."

–

Hermione emerged from Madam Malkin's rather disturbed. She had encountered yet another reminder of the nightmare encounter: Draco and Narcissa Malfoy. She had a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach and was shaken to the core. She seemed to be following her everywhere now that she left the safety of the Burrow. The young witch began second guessing all the good feelings she had about the year ahead of her just a few hours before. She was hoping that it was all just a coincidence and that this bad feeling was going to soon be proved foolish. However, Hermione's feelings usually never proved to be foolish and she was almost positive that this situation wasn't any different.

They were soon reunited with the Weasley family and continued with their shopping activities. Hermione was silent in the shops and stayed mostly to herself, eager to finish and return to the Burrow where she was sheltered and safe. But once they were finished they still had one more stop to make – Fred and George's new joke shop. Hermione was hoping that they had what she needed to cheer up a bit and get her mind off of all the heavy things that kept weighing her down. Not even her new book, _Advanced Rune Translation_, could make a smile creep across those lips.

It was bright. It was a bit offensive, especially to Mrs. Weasley, but it was extremely attractive and happy-looking and Hermione liked it. Inside of the shop there was what the entirety of Diagon Alley used to be filled with: laughter, much talking, and so much color it would light up the dark. Immediately the clan dispersed and Harry was rushed by Fred and George, leaving Hermione and Ginny to mosey around and look at the contraptions that Fred and George had managed to whip up. It was all very impressive, especially for two boys who hadn't finished their education.

Hermione and Ginny had been wandering around for quite a bit before Harry came up with Ron and grabbed her arm.

"I just saw Malfoy, without his mother, disappearing into Knockturn Alley. He's definitely up to something." She looked down to see him pulling his invisibility cloak out. "We have to go follow him."

She stood there for a moment looking at him before breaking out into a hearty laugh that she needed. "Are you serious, Harry? I'm not going with you! You're always looking for trouble. Haven't you realize that trouble needs no help finding you?! We're going to be leaving soon, anyway. Just let Malfoy go. Isn't he always up to something?"

Ron scoffed. "Leave it up to Little Miss Rules to go and ruin everything."

She gaped at the red headed boy. "Oh yes, that's right. There I go again ruining everything! Well you two can go off on your adventure to Knockturn Alley to look for trouble and spy on Malfoy but I'm going to be staying right here. Have fun finding your own way back to the Burrow!" A defensive and somewhat vicious laugh erupted. "I'm sure there are a few flying cars laying around for your very own disposal!" With that, she turned her back and continued furiously looking at the colorful contraptions.

The truth was... Knockturn Alley was nothing but trouble. So many signs were telling Hermione that her personal torturer was just around the corner. She couldn't bring herself to go just to spy on Malfoy because of a hunch that Harry had. She had to take into consideration that Harry and Ron both had personal vendettas out against Malfoy. Nothing concerning him could be logical, could it!? His father is a death eater and he is a Slytherin trying his hardest to fulfill his fathers expectations... isn't it normal for somebody like him to be wandering on into Knockturn Alley?

But then again, if anything ever happened to them Hermione would never forgive herself. She had always considered those foolish boys to be under her logical protection. She had to go. She had to put her fears behind her and go, just to make sure they were safe. She would watch them from a distance and make sure everything was alright before turning around and immediately heading back to the shop. That's exactly what she would do.

Hermione anxiously peered out of the store-front windows. Looking around for a moment, she spotted Hagrid off to the side in a rather animated conversation with someone she had never seen before. After watching for a moment, she felt safe sneaking past him without the normal protection of Harry's invisibility cloak. Hermione left the shop, closing the door slowly behind her and watching to make sure that nobody saw her. Tip toeing past Hagrid proved to be very easy, but Hermione could have sworn that she saw Hagrid catch her out of the corner of his eye... but that was no matter to deal with now. Far enough away to feel safe, she quickened her pace and turned the corner to enter into Knockturn Alley.

Looking around, it seemed just as bare as everywhere else. She had no idea where Malfoy had led Harry and Ron, but she began looking around anyway in hopes that they would see her and she would find that they were alright. She took a deep breath and began walking further, feeling a bit nervous due to her location. As another wave of frightened emotions washed over her, she quickened her pace but stopped after a moment. She had an eerie feeling. The hair on the back of her neck stood up. She didn't want to be here anymore. Harry and Ron would be fine by themselves, they were big boys and knew how to take care of themselves if they needed to.

Hermione turned around to return to Fred and George's shop, but her pathway was now blocked by a cloaked figure. She gasped and took a step back, covering her mouth in surprise. Every inch of her body wanted to run away immediately. She had never felt this much panic in her life. There was only one person who could be standing in front of her like that. She remembered having these feelings one other time and had foolishly convinced herself that she would never have to go through it again. It wasn't all over, and she knew that now, and she was bloody sorry that she had put herself, alone, in a dangerous situation at the silly sake of Harry and Ron's hunches.

"No, no," she said, shaking her head, not believing that this was happening again. Why couldn't she had stayed in the joke shop, why didn't she just go and tell Hagrid that they had went to Knockturn Alley if she was so worried instead of going herself?! She began slowly backing away, taking short, panicked steps. Hermione could tell that, even though her face was covered in darkness, she was grinning.

"What are you doing here? What do you want from me, Bellatrix?" Her voice was shaky and had no control. As she spoke, it got incrementally louder.

"Shh!" Bellatrix hissed and rushed toward Hermione. She covered Hermione's mouth with one hand and pushed her into a dark doorway. Hermione's head hit the door behind her with a loud thud. She bit down hard on the fingers that Bellatrix had shoved on top of her lips and she removed her hand with a gasp. Bellatrix quickly grabbed the wand that was securely tucked into her cloak and pushed the tip into Hermione's neck.

"I know you have some sort of role in this, Bellatrix," Hermione whispered despite Bellatrix's silent death threat. "Tell me where Draco is going." This sudden burst of courage amused Bellatrix to the point of audible laughter.

"And to think such a smart witch like you would have caught on by now. Don't you know how this game works, darling?" she hissed. "If I'm not mistaken, I ask the questions, you give the answers..." She took a few more steps closer to Hermione. She could press her body against Hermione's hard enough to cause some discomfort. "...along with anything else I may want," she added with an ice cold tone. Her lips were now dangerously close to Hermione's but the Dark Lord's servant quickly moved them to make contact with her neck.

"Mmm, it's been much too long," she whispered hotly into Hermione's ear, causing her to wince and wiggle under Bellatrix's weight. "Ah, ah, ah." Bellatrix released the pressure she was forcing her wand to put upon the side of Hermione's neck and tucked it back into her cloak now that she had complete control over Hermione's body. The empty hand now took post caressing Hemione, touching her skin, exploring the curves of her body...

The young witch shuddered, she was breathless. Her chest rose and fell viciously, but it was as if the air was choking her instead of relieving her panic. Her head was fuzzy, everything was blurry as if it was being viewed from under water. Her face was hot: red and sweaty. Her trembling hands gained minds of their own and began wandering, grasping the person that stood before her. She wasn't thinking... she couldn't think... all she knew was that this feeling was amazing. It was as if everything around her was fine while she was preparing to explode into a million tiny pieces. As Bellatrix thrust her hand into Hermione's pants and plunged her fingers into her warm, wet center, small moans and groans involuntarily slipped from the young girl's mouth.

"Oh, right there." Her unconscious and mouth formed the words without her coherent consent. Even Bellatrix was surprised by her unnatural compliance. With a chuckle and an appreciative moan in Hermione's ear, Bellatrix continued darting her fingers into Hermione without any signs of stopping.

Hermione's stomach tensed. Her eyes snapped shut and her breathing became heavily labored. She reached down with a gasp and grabbed the exposed flesh on Bellatrix's moving arm and dug her fingernails into it. A cry, stifled by the material on Bellatrix's shoulder that Hermione was deeply biting into, rang throughout Knockturn Alley and Hermione collapsed: half in Bellatrix's arms and half onto the dirty floor. Uncontrollable sobs accompanied the immense amount of tears that were now running freely down Hermione's cheeks.

There were so many emotions rushing over her, more than she had never experienced. Her entire world, everything she once knew, was crashing down right before her and she couldn't do anything about it. She felt like a wreck – she looked like a wreck. So many things were hitting her at once, demanding her brain's attention, attention that she couldn't give. She didn't know what else to do, so she sat there and cried.

Bellatrix stood over the sobbing figure, grinning at the shattered child. She was so broken, just like her. So lost in the big bad world. Bellatrix herself remembered these feelings – these horrible feelings that she once believed could never exist. These feelings had now permanently made a home in the chest of Bellatrix Lestrange, giving her power over anyone who would dare defy her. She had no conscience, she had no feelings or emotion; some people would even argue whether or not the witch had a heart. Standing over the emotionally crushed Hermione Granger she felt nothing, no sympathy for the girl and all that she had already done to her. Nothing at all.

"You'll come to find very quickly that everyone has a weakness... a poison," the Death Eater hissed. She bent her knees so she was now face-to-face with the mass that was Hermione. Bellatrix could feel the heat radiating from Hermione's face, hot from crying.

"And if you haven't noticed yet," she whispered, leaning in so her lips were barely touching Hermione's ear, "_I'm yours_." Her lips brushed up against Hermione's cheek as she finished speaking. They were now carried the taste of salt from the young girl's tears, which had started up again. Bellatrix lingered for a moment before standing upright. She mindlessly moved the tips of her fingertips over her lips, back and forth, before touching them to her tongue.

"Get up, collect yourself," she ordered. "Your friends are coming." Bellatrix's blood began boiling at the simple thought of being in the same vicinity as Harry Potter and not being able to take the life from him herself. But he was to be left for the Dark Lord, the one person she would ever show compassion for.

The witch fussed with her cloak, reaching into it and extracting her wand from where she had tucked it away. "I'll be seeing you soon," she said as she peered out of the doorway to see if they had gained any company. Hermione had just talked herself into regaining enough of her dignity to lift her body from the dirty floor and stand upright. Bellatrix looked back once more. She had a look of contempt in her eye that scared Hermione to no end. "Filthy mudblood." And with that, she shot off like a bullet, her now familiar icy cold cackle of amusement ringing entirely throughout Diagon Alley.

"_I'll be seeing you soon."_ Her words echoed in Hermione's head a thousand times over as she wiped her face with her sleeves. She made haste to button her pants and smooth her clothing. She couldn't believe what had just happened. She had managed to stop her crying but her breathing was beyond her control. She was hysterical. Her head felt light and feathery and her body felt as if it were floating on a cloud. This couldn't be real. They had Ministry protection here, Hagrid was here, they wouldn't let this happen to her, right? This had to be a dream... just one horrible dream that wouldn't end. She'd wake up soon, safe in her temporary bed at the Weasley house, right?

She had just taken a step out of the doorway, she had to go somewhere – _anywhere_ but where she was, when her world came crashing down... quite literally. She fell to her knees, her chest felt heavy like a ton of bricks. She saw the abandoned shops, the length of the dark alleyway, red hair and freckles... a pair of glasses... darkness.


	7. She's Deadly

**A/N: I KNOW. I'M SORRY. I'm out of school now and have read some FANTASTIC Bella/Hermione fanfics on here that I've fallen in love with and they've given me inspiration. This is a rather difficult story and it's hard to figure out which direction to take. But I'm trying, and I'm back with another chapter that I hope you enjoy. I hope that I've captured the characters as well as I used to, jumping into the groove again. Constructive criticism, thoughts, ideas, everything is welcomed. And I'm rooting for you, my readers and fellow fic lovers, to go out and make an awesome fic of your own. I'm always looking for Bella/Hermione fics, I've recently found they are RARE and I'd LOVE more of them. So, feel free to point me in the direction of one that you know of that perhaps I haven't discovered yet. But, before you do that... ENJOY!**

It had been two months since Hermione's encounter with the infamous Death Eater in Diagon Alley. A change occurred in her during the time she spent with Bellatrix – Hermione did not pester Harry or Ron about their studying habits and she no longer spent the majority of her spare time with the two. She became a recluse of sorts once the term had started at Hogwarts. Harry and Ron had bothered Hermione to no end to discover the truth of what happened that day after they found her, but she refused to tell. Good friends as they were, Harry and Ron didn't spread word about what they had seen and what they thought happened, they kept it to themselves. For that, Hermione was thankful. And she was also thankful when they stopped following her around the castle trying to get her to have a conversation with them.

Her nose was always stuck in a book at the Gryffindor table during meals – which she rarely showed up to anymore. She didn't eat much, she didn't socialize anymore and she barely slept. Whenever she closed her eyes, tucked comfortably in her bed, her dreams were anything but friendly. At first, they were terrorizing adventures that always ended at the feet of Bellatrix Lestrange, under her control in a dark room. The cackling laugh rang in her ears wherever she went, and especially in her sleep. But after a while they were less focused on the torture. They were... sensual. But in the darkest and most haunting sensual she had ever experienced. The cackling laugh was replaced with the low, loud groans of pleasure she heard coming from the Death Eater – and the reluctant whimpers of enjoyment that escaped from the frizzy haired witch.

Those dreams were more horrifying than the purely tortuous ones. So Hermione attempted to avoid them altogether. Instead, she indulged herself in books of all sorts. She was on top of things in her study and had taken quite the liking to caffeinated beverages. She brought stacks upon stacks of books back to her bedside to keep her company throughout the night and spent her free time hidden in the library. The people that usually took comfort in Hermione's wisdom and opinions now found her to be irritable and had stopped coming around her. The once semi-popular, social, caring, happy witch was now the opposite of everything she used to be. She even stopped participating insufferably in all of her classes, which caused some chat amongst the Professors of Hogwarts.

But on this October night Hermione was not in her bed. She was nowhere to be found in the common room, but if you listened closely in the library you would hear the slightest noise of pages rustling every so often. The young witch had become prone to borrowing Harry's invisibility cloak and spending the night in the library when she was feeling especially unsocial. That had been the case tonight after Ron's outburst in the common room. It seemed that he had had enough of the new Hermione that had come to Hogwarts this year and since Harry had given up for the moment, the emotionally insufficient Ron took it upon himself to bother her again about the way she had been acting. But emotions rose quickly and he was soon screaming at Hermione telling her to snap out of it and stop being a twit instead of calmly telling her that her friends missed her and how much they cared about her. So she took it upon herself to seek comfort and solace in the only place she knew: the library, inside of a book.

She had picked up a new book that night about dark forces, a new interest that had struck that year, and was sucked into the middle of a chapter on Azkaban. The clock was nearing twelve thirty and she was nowhere near tired, now used to being awake for long amounts of time, when she heard a sound that caught her attention. It was barely detectable, but being accustomed to the library's dead silence in the middle of the night she heard it with no problem. Her eyes shot up from the pages of the book and scanned the dark row she was sitting in. Her instincts immediately told her that it was a teacher. They knew what she was up to, that she was out of bed at this hour, and had come to find her and punish her for being in the library. But her eyes could detect nothing and after a moment, she merely pushed it aside and continued her reading. Moments after the scare, she heard it again. And again. It sounded as if it was getting louder. Hermione's heart began to beat faster and she grew nervous at the thought of being discovered and punished – never being able to come here in the middle of the night again. _Just take the book with you and leave. Leave now_. That was what her mind was telling her, and she was keen on doing just that.

The witch put her lit wand in her pocket to obstruct the light that had been coming from it's tip, too nervous to mutter a tiny _nox_ to put it out. She slowly and carefully shut the book and rose from the chair. Testing the waters, she took a step forward. She made no sound. A couple more steps forward. She would be in the clear. She just had to take it slow. If she rushed, she was bound to be discovered. Hermione slowly inched her way down the row. Halfway through, she had noticed there was no indication that the sound had recurred in the few minutes she had spent shuffling her way to get out of the library. Her pulse was slowing and paranoia was departing when she felt something. She could actually feel someone watching her. It was as if their eyes were piercing through the back of her head.

Hermione froze where she was. She refused to move, just in the off chance she made a sound. She took in a shuddering breath, her eyes bulging wide. The next thing she heard was heavy breathing in her ear.

_Maybe you're just going crazy, maybe you're going completely bonkers. It's all the sleep you've been missing, all the isolation you've put yourself through. Yes, that's what it is._ Her mind was racing, and was interrupted by the sudden jerk her body involuntarily made. She had been grabbed from behind, something was muffling her mouth and her nose. Her body had been lifted from the ground and she was now moving forward. Hermione did everything that she could with her strength, now weakened due to her current habits, but it was futile. She dropped the book with a loud _thud_ on the passing library floor and the person, creature, being, whatever it was behind her fumbled in their steps.

"_Filthy mudblood_" came a sharp voice behind her. It was as if her blood had turned to ice and her lungs were paralyzed. Without one thought the tears began flowing. _Not again, not again, please not again, no, no, no_, her mind pleaded as the pace quickened. The library was now far behind them, the struggling young witch and the ice cold Death Eater that had yet again captured her. The statement left no mystery to the person behind this. It was her. She was back. Bellatrix Lestrange.

Hermione was thrown upon the hard surface of the floor, hard. The invisibility cloak that had been covering her slid off her in her travel through the air. The room was dimly lit and unrecognizable. They couldn't have left Hogwarts that quickly. But how in the world was _she_ in the castle? Hermione looked around quickly, frazzled by everything that had just happened. There was only one place that they could be since there wasn't a room or passageway in the castle that she didn't know about. _The Room of Requirement. _

Bellatrix's leather boots beat upon the stone ground and sent chilling echoes throughout the room. It took a few moments before she appeared to Hermione, stepping into the insufficient light provided by the room. "Why so surprised to see me, _mudblood_?" the black haired witch growled. A devilish smile grew upon her face as her black eyes bore into Hermione Granger like there was no tomorrow. "I told you I'd be seeing you soon, and I don't ever lie."

Bellatrix rushed forward and grabbed Hermione by the throat, bringing her upon her feet. They were now face to face, Hermione's wet and glistening eyes staring into Bella's haunting black orbs. "Ah," she exhaled, hissing pleasurably. "Do you know where we are?" Bellatrix asked sharply. "Oh but of course you do. You know everything. You insufferable little KNOW IT ALL." With her last words she slammed Hermione hard up against the wall behind them, her grip upon Hermione's neck tightening for a moment. Bellatrix brought her free hand up to stroke Hermione's hair, surprisingly gentle. "Mm, I've missed my play thing, yes I have," she said lowly, pushing herself up against Hermione. She released her grasp on Hermione's neck and grabbed her wrist now, twisting it. Unwillingly, Hermione's lower half shot forward and Bellatrix brought Hermione's arm around her back. She let out a small gasp of pain and her body began crawling when she realized she was now pressing her own body up against the Death Eater's.

The cackling laugh that had haunted Hermione for so long rang throughout the room. Hermione's sobs escalated and the gasps of breath grew larger. "Oh so eager," Bellatrix whispered into Hermione's ear before bringing the tip of her tongue in contact with Hermione's earlobe. The young witch shuddered at the feeling. "But I can only imagine the kind of fun dreams our last encounter has provided you with." Hermione could _feel_ the smile coming back to Bella's face. "Mmmmmm," the Death Eater moaned, grinding herself up against the shuddering figure she had pushed against the wall. Hermione made a sound of disgust that was just audible for Bella to hear. She roughly slammed Hermione against the wall again, her head now hitting the stone.

"Don't try and play that game with me," Bellatrix said forcefully, her hand that wasn't twisting Hermione's wrist traveling to the front of Hermione's pajama pants as she spoke. Her hand slid down into the pants and underneath Hermione's underwear for a moment, trespassing once more to her opening. She retracted her fingers and her hand entirely after a moment, now holding it between their faces. Even in the dim light, her fingers glistened. Bellatrix brought her face closer to her hand and touched her lips to her fingers before moving them across her bottom lip. She opened her mouth slowly and touched her fingers to her tongue, carefully traipsing it up and down her middle finger. "You're a filthy little mudblood, aren't you?" Bellatrix taunted, proud of revealing Hermione's wetness. She removed her hand that was obstructing their faces and now began to trace Hermione's curves. Her mouth closed in on the exposed flesh of the young one's neck and she scraped her teeth across it with much pressure. A shudder erupted.

Bellatrix gasped and her head popped up again, her black eyes gleaming with glory. "You like that, don't you? It makes you wet. You don't have to be afraid, _I know it turns you on_," she hissed.

"I hate you." This voice was different from the deep, dark one that had been dominating the room. It was weak, yet full of force. "I detest every bit of you. You're disgusting. You're vile. You make my skin crawl."

_Whack!_ The side of Hermione's face stung and instantly got hot.

"Don't you _dare_ speak to me, you filthy girl! You want to play games like this? You should have thought before you spoke to me that way. If you haven't noticed, _I have all the power and you have nothing. You are defenseless, helpless. And it turns you on. You want me to fuck you senseless right now._"

Hermione's stare did not falter from Bella's as she spoke. Her eyes were wide with the sudden surprise of the hit and the tears were flowing heavily down Hermione's cheeks. As she spoke, Bellatrix moved her face closer and closer to Hermione's so that their lips were almost touching and she could feel the heat of her last words. The Death Eater's body slowly moved up and down against Hermione's, her legs now spread. Her lips crept up, yet again, into a sharp smile. In the silence, Hermione's eyes dropped down to glance at the pale red lips that she detested. She hated those lips on that disgusting woman. She hated everything about her, especially her lips. Those moist... plump lips...

Bellatrix hissed, pleasantly this time, now noticing where Hermione had been looking.

"I've caught you. Oh I've caught you, you disgusting little girl. You're weak. You're powerless. **And. You. Want. Me.**"

"NO." Hermione's forceful voice echoed in the room. "You're wrong. I don't. I hate you. I HATE YOU."

The back of her head stung again as it knocked up against the wall. Bellatrix chuckled, low and taunting. Her hand found it's way in between Hermione's clothed legs. "No use in trying to hide it," she began, her last word more forceful than the others as she ripped open the front of Hermione's pants. Without missing a beat Bellatrix slid her fingers underneath her underwear again and began teasing her opening.

"You're sopping wet!" she exclaimed, her eyes now bulging with the closest emotion of happiness the dark wizard could experience. Hermione pursed her lips and bit down, suppressing a groan that was dying to get out. Bellatrix edged her nails against Hermione's flesh with just enough pressure to edge over into pain. Hermione's back straightened as she tried to distance herself from the woman, her brows furrowed, her cheeks wet, her chest rising and falling quickly. She closed her eyes tightly, fighting against the pleasant feeling in between her legs. She couldn't be feeling this. No. This was Bellatrix Lestrange, the most vile person she ever had the displeasure of meeting. This couldn't be happening. She wouldn't allow it. She wouldn't...

Bellatrix plunged her fingers into Hermione after a fair amount of teasing. Hermione gasped loudly at the sudden intrusion and her eyes opened wide to see Bellatrix staring at her with a straight face, almost studying Hermione's. When she wasn't throwing a fierce stare with that ugly smile on her face, her features were soft. Almost, pleasant. Almost... beautiful...

Once the witch noticed her plaything had come back to reality, she smiled and the look in her eyes returned. "This is what you've been wanting all along, isn't it? You've been yearning to have me inside of you," she said darkly, her head tilting to the side giving her an air of natural craziness. She forcefully pushed her fingers further inside. Hermione's free hand clutched into the fabric of the woman's dress. Bellatrix felt a sudden tugging and looked down quickly, a surprise that only increased the pleasure she was getting from this situation. She now released her tight grasp upon Hermione's wrist, setting it free.

Frustrated grunts were now coming from the small girl pressed against the wall. Bellatrix brought the hand that had been restricting Hermione underneath her dress and began to rub herself.

"_You close your eyes while I fuck you,_" Bellatrix hissed, and Hermione obeyed without a question. She was in another land, it seemed. She wasn't able to comprehend the feeling that was rushing through her veins at the moment, but it was so addicting that she couldn't deny it. She wanted more and she wanted it now. She started grinding against the fingers moving in and out of her, muffled grunts audible through her closed lips.

At that cue, Bellatrix plunged her own fingers inside of herself. She was undeniably wet from the torture and resistance she had experienced. She stared at Hermione, as though hypnotized. Her eyes seemed to penetrate the young girl before her. Her pace quickened inside of herself and inside of Hermione, both going deeper and deeper inside. Hermione's hand raised and snatched a patch of curly black and white hair and pulled back at it forcefully. Bellatrix gasped deeply at the move the young witch had taken. She showed no signs of pleasure or pain, anger or otherwise. Her gaze continued to stay on the face of Hermione Granger as tears sneaked their way out of her eyes and made paths down her cheeks. Bella's chest began to quicken. As she continued to stare, her eyes got hot and her vision fuzzy. Her lips stayed closed unlike Hermione's that were now parted and small moans escaped from her lips. Both of the women were nearing their orgasms. Bellatrix felt herself tighten around her fingers seconds after she felt Hermione do the same. The young witch inhaled sharply as she felt the bliss of her release. Bellatrix's view of Hermione's face was now completely fuzzy, she could barely make out her face in the dark room. Feeling Hermione's release brought her into her own and she now looked up at the ceiling.

Her eyes closed tightly as she experienced an intense orgasm of her own. Her body shuddered and her stance slacked, her body resting a bit more heavily against Hermione's. Once she started to come down, she opened her eyes which then focused upon Hermione's face once more. In the dim light she could see the glistening orbs of the young witch focused upon her own, her face full of surprise as her movement against Bellatrix's fingers slowed down. In one quick movement she removed her fingers from Hermione and slapped the witch yet again. Hermione's eyes closed against the stinging pain and her hand that had been tangled in Bellatrix's hair was now resting against the reddened skin on her cheek. As she took a moment to regroup, she saw a quick flash of black fabric meet the Death Eater's face in a wiping motion.

"LEAVE. NOW." The dark, frightening voice was back and echoed throughout the room as if it were taunting Hermione. Scrambling upon the floor to grab the invisibility cloak she put it upon her and left the room, leaving Bellatrix bracing herself against the wall, breathing heavily with her gaze at the ground. All the way back to the common room the only thing on her mind were the wet paths that glistened in the low light back in the Room of Requirement and the red puffy eyes that had seemed to stare deep inside of her, into her very soul.


	8. Slip Into Your Skin

Hermione trailed behind Harry and Ron, carefully placing her steps as she descended the hill towards Hogwarts gates. She was pale and there were dark circles under her eyes. She squinted as the icy cold December wind rushed around them, carrying the light snow on the grounds up into the air. There were chattering students in front and behind of the trio as it was time for their trip to Hogsmeade. Hermione had been looking forward to this trip, it would provide her with the breath of fresh air that she needed.

Bellatrix spared no mercy on Hermione during the passing two months into winter. But the circumstances had changed. She no longer trespassed into the depths of Hermione as she did in the past, but she made up for it in the physical pain she caused Hermione to feel during her interrogations. The young witch had finally discovered the reason to their meetings and why the Death Eater had been keeping such close tabs on her. It was all in the name of one of her very best friends, Harry Potter. She should have known sooner. It was always because of him. Hermione pitied him. And she couldn't bring herself to tell him with everything else he had going on that year. She had been introduced to a task that was all her own. She was going to take it on headstrong, like Harry had did when he was introduced to a challenge.

Ever since their first meeting in the Room of Requirement, something had changed in Hermione. That night she went back to her room and unwillingly succumbed to sleep, however her dreams were not haunted with that which she had become accustomed to. She didn't dream of that menacing smile or cackling laugh that usually found their way into her dreams. That night when she slept, she dreamed of Bellatrix, oh yes. She saw the woman standing before her – the pouting rosy red lips that had hissed in her face, the bouncing curls that cupped her face so carefully, the look of innocence she had read in her eyes seconds before she had felt the stinging upon her face, and the patchy red cheeks that had been claimed by the tears she had seen falling from her glistening orbs. She awoke that morning well rested, and changed. Hermione was unaware of this, but it had happened nonetheless.

Hermione slowly came round to acting a bit more like herself as time went by. She began talking to Ron and Harry again – if she saw them in the common room she would make it a point to go and sit with them. She smiled more despite her outer appearance of frailty. She knew the boys were doing their best to keep on as if nothing had happened and not ask questions, and she appreciated it. She mentally kicked herself for shutting them out of her life. They were such good friends. Harry, with all his discretion, started doing small nice things upon her return to show her that he cared. But there was no more prodding, no more outbursts, and although her appearances were still scarce it was almost as if nothing had happened and there hadn't been a time where the frizzy haired witch was absent.

They arrived at Hogsmeade and instantly Ron had set off in the direction of the Three Broomsticks muttering something about fancying a pint of butterbeer. It was no secret to Hermione or Harry that it wasn't the butterbeer that he fancied – but Madam Rosmerta herself. Harry had a curious smile on his face as Ron forged way through the snow towards his destination. He looked over to Hermione, who was slightly smiling herself.

"You coming?" he asked, looking back to Ron for a moment.

Hermione looked at Harry with the answer written all over her face. He should have known that a place like that would now be a bit too social for Hermione's liking. He smiled with a gentle look in his eye, his gaze intently placed on Hermione's face.

"I think I'll go for a walk about the village. You better go and keep an eye on that one," she told him, her voice much more cheerful than it had been of late. "I'll catch up later."

They said their goodbyes and Hermione set off not further into the village, but towards the Shrieking Shack. It was easy to see that she had taken a liking to the darker things this year. She enjoyed solitude now over being surrounded by her classmates and jolly strangers, just the kind of people that were found in the Three Broomsticks especially this time of year. She smiled politely as she passed through a clearing that was spotted with students in the middle of a happy snowball fight and continued down the path. As she walked, either side of her became more dense with trees before she reached the hill that descended down toward the shack. Howls of laughter rang through the cold air from the group having a bit of fun in the snow as Hermione neared the shack that stood looming in the distance. Other than that, it was silent.

It had been so long since Hermione simply sat with the only objective but to dive inside of her mind. She had spent so much time making sure she was constantly occupied, never allowing her mind to wander in fear of what she might find. It seemed to easy when she was at the castle. On the nights she slept, she found it simple to wake up completely ignoring the dreams that she had during the night, instead diving inside of the Daily Prophet at breakfast or engaging in conversation on those mornings she found her mind particularly hard to control. But now, here? She didn't have anything to distract herself.

Fearlessly, she walked through the fence that closed off the shack from the rest of the village and walked up to the steps that led inside. She sat down on the stair closest to the door and closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the cold surface. The howls of laughter were still ringing occasionally, but they seemed further away as Hermione allowed herself to relax fully. It had been so long since she had had complete privacy. She wouldn't have to worry about company here – it wasn't exactly the primary destination during anyone's trip to Hogsmeade. Instantly, her mind shot to the one thing that she had so diligently been working to close her mind off from. She was afraid of what her mind did when she allowed it free reign. She was afraid of the plump lips she saw so clearly in her mind and the curves she saw outlined as if her eyes were traveling down them during this moment. The eyes that had been so full of maniacal pleasure now stared back at her mind's eye with that look of innocence and torture induced pain, just as she saw them on that October night...

Hermione's eyes snapped open. _This isn't happening_ she told herself. She had snapped herself out of the dream-like haze she had entered in her relaxation to come to grips with reality, panting heavily as she looked at her surroundings as she sat there on the stair by the abandoned shack. She had worked so hard to ignore it for this long, she couldn't be broken down now. But she couldn't deny it when the truth was right there. She couldn't convince herself that the way her body reacted to the touch of her fingers or the way she pushed her around was just human nature. She could not say that she didn't catch herself day dreaming in class about being thrown up against a wall and taken, her head swimming with pleasure while deeply taking in her addicting scent. _No, no,_ she shook her head, attempting to throw the thoughts straight out of her mind.

She couldn't believe what was happening or even begin to wrap her head around it. Everything she was experiencing was wrong. But it was as if that look that she had the last time as she brought herself over the edge was burnt into her mind forever. Hermione had always been one of those people that saw the good, or attempted to see it, in everyone. Seeing the way she looked and just a glimpse at her with such pain, torture, innocence and sadness detectable in her eyes... it assured Hermione that there was a human in that shell. It wasn't emotionless like the rest of them. She could be saved.

A frustrated grunt was expelled from her mouth and she slammed her head against the door just hard enough so that it hurt. _I shouldn't be thinking like this_, she told herself. In fact, she didn't know why she was thinking like that. She had never spent her days trying to expel the feel of a person's touch upon her skin from her mind – nothing of the sort. And she had never imagined that the day she started to, it would be the touch of a woman: a Death Eater. The things her mind focused on when she allowed free reign scared her to no end.

Hermione brought her hands up to cover her face and she squeezed her eyes tightly shut. She pressed the palms of her hands down on her face. This was unbearable. She couldn't stand not knowing what was happening to her; not being able to understand it. She lost count of the number of times she could taste the words on her lips when she was alone in the common room with Harry – ready to confess everything that she had been so desperately trying to hide. It killed her not having anyone to talk to, but this was the way it had to be. She knew she distanced herself for a reason. Harry and Ron would always be around and she had to control herself to the best of her abilities. She had felt so tough and impenetrable during her months of solitude. Why did she feel that all of the walls she had worked so hard to put up had come crashing down, leaving her vulnerable once again?

Just as her hands slid down her face and she opened her eyes, blinking to adjust them to her bright white surroundings, the door her back had been resting against opened a crack. After opening an inch it made a soft thud against whatever was obstructing it on the inside. Hermione jumped and quickly leaned forward. She couldn't spot anything on the inside until her eyes spotted the doorknob and the fingernails, long and painted blood red. Only a hand and a wrist was visible, still grasping onto the wood from pulling it open with some force. The fear that had usually washed over Hermione whenever in the presence of this woman had long subsided. She heard a child-like coo come from behind the door and it opened a bit further, revealing the Death Eater standing inside.

Bellatrix stood with the door open just enough so that she could see Hermione and Hermione could see her standing inside. She haughtily looked down upon the girl sitting on the steps, a look of insincere surprise looming behind her eyes. Hermione stared up at her, her eyes caught on the pout of Bella's lips and the way the limited light played with her dark orbs. She had the same crazed look on her face, but Hermione couldn't help but notice that it seemed as if her features had softened a bit. She could smell the heavy perfume radiating off of the woman standing before her, the scent that always sent her into a senseless frenzy that always seemed to jump-start her desire.

"What, not even a little chase? Pet, you're no fun."

Hermione saw the rouge nails rushing towards her and rushed to get up, but she was too slow. Bellatrix had grabbed her by the hair and pulled her into the house, slamming the door behind her. She hit the wall parallel to the door and fell to the floor. Bellatrix turned to face Hermione, her hands clasped together behind her back as she leaned back onto the heels of her leather boots. She looked haughtily down at Hermione, a look of disgust on her face.

"Where are your friends? Don't they want to come and play with me too?" she asked, mocking the girl on the floor before her.

"What do you want, Bellatrix?" Hermione spat. She wanted to be anywhere but here. She no longer wanted to be in the presence of Bellatrix Lestrange. The woman that made her head spin, her insides churn and her heart race. She made her experience emotions Hermione had never dreamed of. And that was exactly what she was doing as she stood there, lazily leaning back onto the heels of her leather boots before coming back down and repeating the process. Hermione noticed the way she acted was a bit child-like, but she was far from being an innocent child. She chuckled, but it wasn't the cackling laugh that rang through Hermione's ears, haunting her late at night. It was low. Hypnotizing.

"Oh, dear." It was as if Bella's eyes had set on fire hearing Hermione speak to her without permission. She looked at Hermione with such an intensity it felt as if she was staring completely through her. She began to take slow steps towards Hermione. As she neared, Hermione could see her rolling her wand between her fingers behind her back. Hermione scrambled to her feet, her back pushed up against the wall, in hopes to mount a defense. But Bellatrix had rushed forward and pointed her wand at Hermione's neck. The tip dug into her skin just enough to cause her discomfort.

She could feel the young witch trembling and she brought her free hand up to rest on Hermione's cheek. Her thumb ran over the length of Hermione's cheek and then back again. She flinched under the initial touch, expecting it to be painful as it usually was. But the warm pad of her tongue was gentle and light on her skin. The sudden touch had distracted Hermione and she didn't the smile that crept it's way across Bella's lips. "Seems the mudblood never learns," she said in an almost whisper, the words sharp on her tongue.

"That's right, I'm never going to learn. I'm never going to tell you anything. I'd rather die." Where Hermione had gotten the courage to say those words she would never know. She found her last sentence extremely difficult to complete and her words trembled as she spoke. It felt as if her heart was going to jump out of her chest as she stood there as brave as she could be in front of the most notorious Death Eater and Voldemort's most loyal follower. She didn't know what was controlling her or what had caused her to say what she had said – but a part of her deep inside knew that Bellatrix wouldn't do anything. Hermione was calling her bluff.

Bellatrix opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came. She closed her mouth and stared scornfully at her for a moment and went through the motion to speak again. She spoke this time, and acted as if Hermione had not said anything. "I'll give you one more chance." She tilted her head to the side and her eyes fell down to Hermione's lips for a second before her eyes met Hermione's with a hateful glare. "_Tell me what the boy has been up to. Tell me what that old fool has been doing with him_." She dug her wand a little deeper into Hermione's neck. Her words dripped with disdain. Her thumb ran over Hermione's cheek roughly this time, her nail leaving a long scratch across it. Hermione's face jerked lightly away from Bella's hand but she quickly grasped her by the jaw and held her face firmly in line with hers.

Her breath was hot against Hermione's lips. Her knees became weak. _You can't show her you're weak_, said a voice in the back of her mind. _That's just what she wants. You can't back down now. _

"Didn't you just hear what I said?" Hermione's voice was now louder and more powerful. "**I'm not telling you anything**. Anything! So why don't you go and spout an Unforgivable and watch me writhe in pain on the floor and see how that works for you. Or maybe you should just jump right to the Killing Curse and knock me off now. Save some time, leave me here on the floor, crawl back to Voldemort so he can pat you on the head and tell you what a good girl you've been killing the little mudblood girl. Get it over with, Bellatrix. Get me out of the way."

Bellatrix gasped when she heard her say His name. "How DARE you speak of him in that way you filthy little creature!" The sensation that she got when she heard the mudblood girl say her name can be likened to liquid fire running through her veins. Her nails slowly dug into the skin she had her fingers pressed into on Hermione's face. Hermione clenched her jaw and pursed her lips, breathing furiously through her nose. She could feel Bellatrix's body shaking uncontrollably.

"You can't do it!" Hermione shouted painfully.

"Shut up, foolish girl!" Bellatrix hissed, her lips brushing against Hermione's chin. "You've left me with no choice!"

Bella's nostrils flared as she held her wand into Hermione's neck. Her hands were now trembling so bad that the tip of her wand was kneading into Hermione's neck unsteadily.

"You can't do it," Hermione said again, except this time her voice was softer. She brought her hands that had been pressed against the wall and forced them between their bodies so she could place them on Bella's cheeks. This time it was the Death Eater that flinched when she felt the young witch place her fingertips on her cheeks. She had not been expecting the gentleness of her touch, being used to the rough and violent touch of others. The only other person that had ever acted gentle with the witch was her sister, Narcissa – the one person that had her completely wrapped around her finger. But here she was, standing here with the girl letting her gently caress her face. Bellatrix felt like a blanket of warmth covered her once she felt her touch. It was no sensation she was used to and when she flinched and jerked her head away Hermione's hands did not back down.

She could tell the plump red lips, that were in such close vicinity to her face yet not touching it, were trembling. The cold black eyes of Bellatrix Lestrange had softened and gained the look of innocence she had seen but once before. Her grasp on Hermione's face had slackened so that her hand was just hanging on to her face and the pressure her wand was putting on Hermione's neck gave up a considerable amount. Hermione had struck a nerve and Bellatrix was the weak one now. She had pushed through her boundaries and was now entering a territory of Bellatrix that seldom had seen. Hermione wasn't afraid.

Her fingers curled to grasp Bellatrix behind the ears and she pulled her into a kiss. The Death Eater seemed to fall into Hermione and a clatter of wood hitting the floor rang throughout the near silence of the Shrieking Shack. Bellatrix forcefully thrust her tongue into Hermione's mouth, prodding around and caressing the others as she kissed Hermione with the small amount of passion she had inside of her. Her hands fell down to the girl's jacket and tore it open. Hermione lowered her arms and let it fall to the floor. She proceeded to take her own jacket off, letting it fall heavily to the floor behind her and pressed her body hard into Hermione's. Something had woken up inside of her. It felt like something exploded in her stomach and was burning her from the inside out. She had never wanted to be so close, physically, with anyone – not like this. Hermione's hands were like electricity as they roamed her body, sending currents throughout it whenever they made contact with her skin. Her touch was so gentle and soft.

Bellatrix brought her knee up to the level of Hermione's hip and pressed it against the wall. Using one hand to hike up the skirt of her dress she moved the other underneath the fabric and began to stroke herself lightly. She broke the kiss between the two and rested her forehead against Hermione's and her breath quickened as she teased herself. Bella let the fabric fall around her lower arm and unbuttoned Hermione's pants, immediately slipping her hand into her pants and rubbing her through the fabric of her underwear. The young girl's traveling hands found their way to Bella's shoulders. Her nails prodded at the exposed skin and gathered the sleeves of her dress underneath them as they moved across her shoulders and halfway down her upper arms.

Hermione tore at the fabric covering Bella's chest, stretching it down so it was now caught underneath the fold of them, pushing them up a bit. Through the dim light that traveled through the uncovered windows of the house provided enough so that she could see Bella's pale pink nipples on her porcelain white skin. She bent her knees and lowered herself down so she was level with Bellatrix's breasts and grabbed each of them, squeezing tightly. Her thumbs slid over the little pink mounds repeatedly as they hardened. Bellatrix's body seemed to have a mind of it's own as the pleasurable sensation radiated through her and her fingers tangled in Hermione's hair. Hermione's mouth latched onto the nipple of her left breast, her tongue trailing circles around the swollen mound, and she pinched at the other. Bellatrix exhaled heavily and a moan was muffled behind the lips that she kept tightly shut. The sensation between her legs on top of the feel of Hermione's mouth upon her nipple was too much for her to handle. Her eyes had closed and she threw her head back in complete bliss.

Hermione hungrily nipped at Bella's nipple and slid her hand down in between her legs and rested on top of the hand that was so eagerly stroking as Bellatrix expelled soft whimpers of pleasure. Hermione shoved Bella's hand out of the way and brushed her thumb lightly against her swollen clitoris. Bellatrix sighed upon feeling the contact she made with her. Her fingers, tangled in Hermione's hair, grabbed onto her strands and pulled her head up to eye level and Bellatrix lurched forward as her stomach muscles tightened – Hermione had plunged three fingers deep inside of her.

She had been mirroring all of the things Bellatrix had done to her before. Feeling how wet with desire the Death Eater was only made Hermione yearn for her touch even more than she already had been. As if she had been reading her mind, Bellatrix's hand traveled into Hermione's pants again – but this time her fingers touched skin. They ran over her clitoris, also swollen and just as ready to be touched as Bella was. She was a master at teasing, only allowing the tips of her fingers to enter Hermione and no further. Her nails playfully scratched and pressed against her inner thighs.

"Bellatrix," she breathlessly whispered – the first thing that had been said between the two since their lips had met. The way Hermione had whispered her name, the way she could sense just how much Hermione needed and wanted her made her go mad. As soon as her name left the young girl's lips she slid two fingers easily inside of her. Instantly Hermione began moaning and whimpering, never having experienced intercourse … well, _wanted_ intercourse... with anyone before. This was a new experience for both of them and judging from the noises they were making, they were surely enjoying it.

Within minutes of entering her, Bellatrix had Hermione on the edge of release. She could feel the girl tighten around her fingers. Hermione's head tilted back to rest against the wall and her eyes shut tightly, face contorting, as her body lost itself in the throes of passion. Their foreheads had come in contact again and Bellatrix heavily panted, her breath hot against Hermione's lips, as her gaze stayed contently on Hermione's scrunched up face. She had an obsession with watching the people she fucked get thrown over the edge at the mercy of her fingers. The way Hermione looked, so sweet and innocent, engulfed in the sensations that were running free throughout her body, it turned Bellatrix on. The noises she was making were driving Bellatrix up a wall. Hermione's touch had become more rough, more of what Bellatrix had a taste for. Hermione wasn't the only one audibly moaning, now.

The pleasure she was providing Bellatrix with was more than the witch had ever experienced at the hands of another. She found it difficult to keep her eyes open – something she usually had no problem with. Her stomach was having uncontrollable waves of spasms that caused her body to come forward into Hermione's, as if it wanted to bend in half. Bellatrix bit down into Hermione's shoulder and she pinched the skin, covered by Hermione's long sleeved shirt, between her teeth. The young witch cried out as the feeling that could only be described as an earth-shattering orgasm washed over her. She squeezed her eyes shut tighter and an explosion occurred behind her lids as if the sun had exploded white-hot before her.

The feeling of Hermione tightening around her fingers, the wailing sound of her moan as she came and the wave of spasms she felt her going through was enough to send Bellatrix thundering over the edge. Her teeth released their hold on Hermione's shoulder and a deep, guttural, almost animalistic moan rang throughout the house. It overshadowed Hermione's moan and was the only thing that could be heard in their vicinity. It shook Hermione to her very core as Bellatrix tugged on her hair, riding the wave of her orgasm.

To Bella's surprise, it took more than a few mere moments before she could compose herself entirely. Her body involuntarily shuddered when she felt Hermione's fingers slide from in between her legs. Her hand now rested upon Bella's hip, gently squeezing and stroking the fabric that covered her skin with her thumb. Bellatrix's hand emerged from Hermione's jeans and pulled her dress back up so that it now covered her chest. Without saying a word she bent down just far enough so Hermione's jacket got caught on her lengthy nails and she rose again with Hermione's jacket resting on the padding of her pointer finger. She held it out, waiting for Hermione to take it and leave, not looking at the witch but instead gazing at the wall behind her.

Hermione pursed her lips for a moment and cocked her head to the side, looking intently upon Bella's face. She buttoned and zipped her jeans back up and bit down on her bottom lip. She didn't know what to say. She didn't know how she stood with the witch. What she had just experienced at the hands of her provided her with the most beautiful, heart awakening sensations she had ever felt. When Bellatrix had came in front of her before, it wasn't like this time. No. She didn't shudder and whimper, she didn't make the noise that she just did – she had lost control over her entire body and Hermione knew that. But she only knew the tip of what she had instilled inside of the cold, icy heart of the Death Eater. She had no clue what she had just gotten the both of them into. Of course, Bellatrix had a much more extensive idea of what the two of them had done. And she was already working on closing herself off again.

She couldn't believe what she had just allowed to happen. She wanted to run back to her Lord and tell him of all the bad things that she had done and receive her punishment accordingly. And she would have done it too if she wasn't sure she would be killed. She would have gone and told Him, her master, if she wasn't positive that she would have to stand watch as He killed her. She would have told Him, but the mudblood – _the girl_ – **Hermione – **made her feel so full and warmed to her to the depths of what soul she had left.

"You need to leave." Her voice wasn't forceful or angry. It was soft. Cracked. A bit rough. It sounded defeated. She still refused to look Hermione in the eyes.

Hermione took the jacket that had been extended to her, letting her fingers brush over the palm of Bella's hand as she did so. The look upon Bella's face was heart breaking. She couldn't stand it.

Her hand reached up through the darkness and touched the porcelain white cheek that was in front of her. Bellatrix slapped her hand away with a frustrated grunt. Hermione gasped at her unexpected violence.

"Now," she added curtly.

Hermione put her jacket on slowly, biding what time she had left in the presence of this beautiful woman. When her jacket was on and buttoned up, she stood straight backed against the wall in front of Bellatrix. She opened her mouth to speak, but before the words could come out she shut her mouth abruptly, deciding it was better to keep quiet. She knew whatever she had to say was going to be of no help, and was probably unwanted at the time. Instead of speaking, she stepped forward so that her cheek was almost touching Bella's, and kissed her cheek.

Bellatrix almost fell into this girl's touch. She sighed with want as her warm lips pressed into her cheek. Hermione lingered for a moment before Bellatrix pulled away and stepped to the door. She opened it and looked at Hermione with a dark, painful stare as she waited for her to leave.

Hermione walked towards the door. When she got to where Bellatrix was standing she didn't face her, but instead turned her head to the side to glance at her for a moment before she stepped down out of the house.

Bellatrix clenched her jaw together, looking as if she was fighting off the most powerful of notions that she had encountered yet. Her fists balled and she closed her eyes. As if without permission, her hand that was resting on the doorknob reached out and grabbed the hood of Hermione's jacket. Hermione spun around to face the witch again that was standing in the doorway, now a few inches shorter than her as she stood on the topmost step.

Bella grabbed her by the face. Her thumb dug into her cheek and the rest of her fingers pressed into the other side of Hermione's face. She squeezed tighter, her hand shaking and causing Hermione's entire head to shake. She looked up at the witch, a fearful yet longing look behind her eyes. Bella's stare was cold, yet she still had the shattered look of defeat. Without warning she bent her head down a bit so that her lips crashed into Hermione's. Her grasp upon her face had become less furious and rough, and more gentle as her thumb was not digging into Hermione's cheek any longer – but gently stroking it now. Hermione's hands rested on the back of Bella's head, deepening the kiss. She wanted as much of her as she could get. She wanted her in her entirety now and forever.

Bellatrix pushed her away and the hands that were resting on the black curly hair that covered her head fell lifelessly to her sides. Bella stood upright in the doorway and looked down upon Hermione for a moment, trying with all her might to muster up any contempt, any hate, any angry emotion that she could get towards the girl. But she couldn't. She stood there looking vulnerable, her lips pouting, giving her that irresistible look that had caught Hermione's eye in the first place. In a second's notice the door had violently slammed shut in Hermione's face. She stood there for a moment, blankly staring at the door. A metallic taste ran over her tongue and at that point she had realized Bellatrix had tore open the skin on her bottom lip, causing her to bleed. She touched her fingertips to her lip and ran them over the length and back again, a smile forming on her face. Hermione dropped her hand to her side again, this time looking at the door with hope. She leaned into it, her shoulder pressing into the wood. "You can't fool me," she whispered, lingered for a moment, and then set off to exit the fenced off grounds of the Shrieking Shack. Her hood was now up, wary to show the wounds she had picked up during her bout with Bella to anyone.

Inside, Bellatrix stood with her back against the door, her eyes closed. She heard the final words Hermione had to say and it hit her very core. This girl was too smart, she should have known it from the start. She was intuitive and acted with her heart. She let her emotions get in the way, and now she was causing Bella's emotions to break free and run loose too. She didn't know what she was going to do. Where was she supposed to go now? She had betrayed her master with her heartfelt affair. She hated that filthy mudblood with all of her being. She couldn't believe she had allowed her in, to see her vulnerable – _to kiss her on the lips with emotion_... and she couldn't believe that she had kissed her back.

There was only one place she could go. There was only one person she could speak to about this that would completely understand. She would be judged and she would be belittled, but the burden of her secret would have safekeeping within the confines of that mind. It was as if this sudden opening of her heart allowed her to understand what had been going on all along. She had to go see him and tell him what had happened. He would help her. Severus would be her ally and he would keep her safe. And she would help him in return. She was certain she would do whatever she could to get her out of this alive.


	9. Fragile Tension

It was nearing eleven when Bellatrix Lestrange entered the Room of Requirement. For such a prestigious school, getting in was pretty easy. To think that she thought more of the school that had acted as her home for many years and taught her everything she ever wanted to know – the school that helped her to become the woman that she was today. She was rather disappointed to tell the truth, she expected a struggle. A challenge. Those were her favorites. With all the buzz about Dumbledore and how great of a wizard he was, he certainly wasn't good enough to catch a Death Eater in his own school on more than one account. Although she knew that she was going to face quite a challenge in the castle dungeons in only a few moments. She was ready. She could handle it. She had spent a week preparing herself. Whenever she had spare time she was going through the conversation in her head while standing in front of the mirror in attempts to turn her belittling sneers into softer, kinder looking emotions. She was getting quite good at that. Whether she was willing to acknowledge it or not, she had the girl to thank.

Upon exiting the Room of Requirement, all was dark and silent in the castle. The students had gone to bed, lights were not, not a single sound could be heard in the hall on the seventh floor. Bellatrix was underneath her invisible cloak and was light on her feet as she glided down the staircase, each second getting closer to her destination in the dungeons and to the moment she had been dreading for the past seven days. But she had no place else to go. She didn't have anyone else to turn to. Her sister could no longer be trusted. Narcissa's only interest at the moment was to keep her precious son alive after the mess he had gotten himself into with the Dark Lord. Draco... he was such a foolish boy, too filled with pride and blinded by hatred for the Potter boy for him to see that he was in way over his head. It was such a shame, too. He had shown great potential, but in joining the Death Eaters out of spite instead of loyalty and love for their Lord he had signed himself up for his own death. ...Not that she was one to talk.

It wasn't the fact that she didn't love her master. She still felt the same way about him, about what he did, about everything she stood for. But nobody understood unrequited love better than Bellatrix Lestrange. Her mother had never showed her any love when she was a little girl. That's how it all got started. She went to her sister for comfort and for a while, things were better. But things changed and people grew up, her sister got married to Lucius and her priorities shifted. Bellatrix was no longer first on her list. Rodolphus... his very name made her skin crawl. He was a horrid creature. This wasn't a matter of love, it was more of a matter of what could have been. But he treated her like shit from the very start. Like a mere possession. She had foolishly gone into that marriage with an open heart, but he fixed that quickly. She spent fourteen long years in Azkaban – quite possibly the worst place there ever was – all for her Lord. She had never given up hope, the thoughts of his return were the sole thing that kept her alive in that place. She was his most loyal servant but she never received the recognition that she deserved. She had seen the depths of Hell for him but nothing ever changed. She had done everything that she could for him. She did whatever he told her to do. She put her life on the line in doing his bidding. All she would ever be to him was a servant. She knew that now. She had known that for a long time. There was always that flicker of hope deep within her that someday things would be different between the two of them. That she would experience what it felt to be appreciated and loved by him. Even the smallest amount of it would do. Just one time. That's all she wanted. Until that day came she would stick by his side. That's what she had planned. Until now.

Now? Now she knew what it was to be loved by another person. She knew what it was to be wanted, needed. Her heart had been warmed by another. The years of hatred, pain, suffering, all of the bad feelings had been swept away by just one kiss that had shown her what she had been waiting for all these years. The touch of a person that she absolutely detested. It's funny how things work out, really.

It seemed to take forever and a day to reach the dungeons from the seventh floor. She had forgotten how big the castle actually was. It was still as dark and familiar as ever down there in the bowels of the school. She traveled down the long hallway until she reached the door to the room she was looking for and she entered without the slightest warning. Immediately, Severus Snape shot up from where he had been seated at a desk against the wall across from the door. In a quick flash he turned around and had his wand pointing to the door that had just opened and slammed shut.

"Reveal yourself," he said warily with his wand pointed straight at where Bella was standing, but his voice was calm and no fear could be detected.

"Calm down you fool," she whispered and slid the cloak off, dropping it on the floor.

There she stood, Bellatrix Lestrange, leaning against the door with a pleased look on her face as if this was an every day occurrence. Severus slowly lowered his wand but kept it clutched in his hand.

"What are you doing here, Bellatrix? Are you not aware of the severity of the consequences you will receive if you're caught?" His voice was hushed but forceful.

Bellatrix could not help but snicker at his question. Old Severus Snape, a constant source of enjoyment for her.

"Of course I'm aware, you git." She was just as hushed as he was, but she had not lost the intensity that was always present in her tone, nor the snappiness that appeared whenever she spoke to him. This wasn't going to be as easy as she had thought. Apparently the weeks worth of preparation had not paid off. "I came here to speak with you," she hurriedly continued before he had the chance to speak. What she was about to say was quite possibly the most difficult thing she ever had to bring herself to do. She sighed loudly, having an internal battle with herself as she mulled it over in her head. "...I need your help."

In all honesty, Bellatrix could not remember the last time she had said something like that. Especially to Severus Snape. In fact... had she ever said that to anyone? She couldn't remember. But that wasn't the pressing matter on her hands.

When she saw the sneer that slowly grew on his face she almost turned around and left the room without second thought. _You have come too far to give in now, _she told herself, furiously staring at him and becoming angrier by the second. And he was enjoying every moment of it.

"What could be so utterly important that you could not have waited until a more suitable time, Bellatrix?" The way he said her name was choppy and dripping with disgust. He knew exactly what it was taking for her to stand before him and say those words – to lower herself and bare a side of her that was almost human. "What task have you been confronted with that you cannot handle? What can I possibly do that the Dark Lord's most loyal servant... cannot?"

"I have come to understand what you are doing, Severus. More importantly is _how_."

He stared at her for a moment. She looked right back at him. She knew what he was doing. She would not shy away. She would let him see everything. Maybe then he'd understand. Maybe then he'd help her.

"I haven't a clue as to what you are referring to," he said curtly, now avoiding her stare.

"Oh don't try and play stupid!" She rushed towards him in a sudden burst of emotion. "How you stand before him acting as a servant, doing everything exactly as he tells you. How you go and risk your life for him when it has nothing to do with loyalty. After all these years it's finally clear to me exactly what has been going on. We have lost you a long time ago. That, I knew," she hissed through her hushed words, slowly closing in on him as she spoke. "But what I had not known until very recently is **how** Severus. It is no secret that I have always thought of you as a weakling. By assuming your post as a Professor I had thrown this action aside as an act of cowardice and nothing more. Hiding behind Dumbledore, working as a double agent and in turn being granted safety by one of the greatest wizards of all time." Speaking of Dumbledore with such high esteem burnt her tongue. "However, I was wrong." This would be the first and last time she would ever say such a thing. "You are actually quite brave in doing what you have been doing, mingling with the enemy in such close quarters. But as the saying goes..."

"Is there a point you're moving towards or have you come to visit for simple merriment?" The way Severus spoke was different – it was much colder and more guarded. He wasn't enjoying this as much as he was a few seconds ago. Bellatrix had hit a nerve. He knew exactly what she was talking about. She could read it all over his face.

"You love him, Severus. He is the kindest heart you have ever known and you love him so much you are willing to go and put your life on the line in his name, and his name only." She was standing on his side now, her head hovering dangerously close to his shoulder, the snakelike hiss she had been attempting to repress with all her might emphasizing her words as they left her lips.

"I think," he began after a few moments of hesitation, "that it is time for you to leave." He spoke slowly and stared straight ahead at the door giving Bellatrix no sign of acknowledgment.

"No, Severus," she shot back angrily. Her hands slammed down on the wooden desk he had been sitting at moments ago with so much force it hurt her palms. "Not until I am heard. I, too, have felt it. A power stronger than anything I have ever encountered. It has... it has changed me." Every bit of her features softened as she continued to speak. Images of her last encounter with the girl flashed in pieces through her mind. She felt something in the pit of her stomach that couldn't be described with words.

"You, _changed_?" he asked with a snort, turning to face the Death Eater huddled over the desk behind him. "Bella, I am not sure that you know who you are speaking to. I will believe no such thing coming from a woman with a soul as dark as her name."

"You saw it!" she exclaimed, her voice louder than the hushed noises they had been making in their conversation. Her eyes were focused upon the desk, she couldn't bring herself to look him in the eyes. "Do you think that I would come here tonight and ask _you_ to help me if I wasn't being serious? Honest? Have I not proven myself just by coming into this school knowing that Potter is mere floors above me, leaving him unharmed in his bed? We are both no stranger to the Dark Lord's agenda, Severus." Her black orbs now rose and caught his. Her stare was still as dark as ever, but had a hint of innocence that he had never noticed before. Until now. "I could have just as easily snatched him up from his pretty little bed and taken him to the Dark Lord. Instead I came to you. I do not know how to make it any more clear that I have changed. And although I would love nothing more than to watch the life leave from his eyes at the hands of the Dark Lord, that is not the most pressing matter on my hands."

"What do you expect from me?" he asked in an angry tone. "Do you expect me to throw everything that I've worked towards for _years_ away, for a foolish love affair? Do you think I've been putting everything on the line for matters of the heart? _Your _heart?" His voice was now growing louder and his slick black hair hugging the sides of his face shook as he spoke. "What do you want me to do, Bellatrix? How do you expect me to help you?"

An outburst from him under any other circumstances and she would be standing there, smugly smiling, her wand weaving in and out between her fingers.

She straightened herself up and stood there with her back close against the wall, her left hand strumming her fingernails against the wood of the desk. "I... I don't know," she said honestly. She hadn't thought of what she could do, how to play her way out of this safely and get the outcome that she wanted. Her eyes faltered to the floor for a moment but she forced herself to look him in the eyes once more. "I trust you, Severus. I know that you can help me and I will do whatever it takes..." she paused for a moment and when she spoke, her voice was hushed and soft, "...to be with her."

Snape stood there speechless for a moment. He was left defenseless. Bellatrix had stood in front of him and finally coerced herself to bare it all – throw everything out in the open for him to see. She had shown the most delicate and private parts of her to him. They were the parts that were deeper and darker than her ice cold stare or the cackling laugh she left ringing in her victims ears moments before she killed them.

He stared at her with the look of defeat. It wasn't masked with hatred and loathing as it usually was. His features were now softer and kinder than she had ever been familiar with. One look and she knew that she had broken him down. She had finally gotten him to understand what she had been battling with – what she **was** battling with. This was no Death Eater's trick. She was not doing the Dark Lord's bidding. She would no longer be his little puppet. Her heart now belonged to another.

"You are aware," he began, his voice was proper and steady as if nothing had happened, "that in doing this you will be associating, interacting, and working alongside the Order, Bellatrix. The very people you loathe. I can trust... that you will be on your best behavior?"

The look on her face likened her to a teenage girl getting lectured by her parents.

Her famous smirk had found it's way onto her face again. "Only if you promise to keep your big trap sh-"

"Bella!"

"Now, now, Severus. It is not the time to be losing one's temper."

The voice that had spoken wasn't one belonging to either one of the Death Eater's standing on the far side of the room, but from the soft, caring man standing in the doorway. He stood there contently, staring from one face to the other with a calm expression. Dumbledore stepped into the room far enough for him to close the door with a quiet _click_. Snape was the first one to make a move, stepping towards him with his mouth open to speak. Dumbledore simply raised his hand and motioned for him to stop.

"There will be no need for explanations, Severus and please forgive me for barging in. I am quite aware of what brings our visitor here," he said, nodding his head to Bellatrix with a kind smile. In the sudden surprise of his presence she had instinctively reached for her wand and was now slowly sliding it back to safekeeping underneath the waistband of her dress. "And although I cannot say that I am pleased with the actions that have lead up to this moment," he continued, now addressing Bellatrix, "I am very glad to have you here tonight, Bellatrix."

With a flourish of his wand a small table and three chairs appeared in the space between him and the two he had unexpectedly dropped in on. He pulled the chair nearest to him out and motioned for the other two to do the same.

"Sit, sit. We have much to discuss."


	10. Be The One

Hermione was seated in the Gryffindor common room with a plethora of books around her, and next to her sat her very best friend Harry Potter. It was nearing 12:30 in the morning, but sleep was far from either of their minds. She had agreed early that morning to help him with his homework, but she had not been prepared for the work load she would be receiving that day. She had managed to get most of her work out of the way while Harry was at quidditch practice in the evening, but it had taken longer than anticipated for Ron to get to bed – and he was Harry's biggest distraction. It seemed that he had been taking more joy than usual in Hermione's frustration as she had denied him an answer to his queries about where she had gotten the strange scratches and bruises that were on her body. Even Harry had shown some interest in those as well, but he was never as hostile as Ron was when she didn't give him the answer he was looking for.

As she flipped through the pages of her Transfiguration book Hermione stifled a tired yawn. She was exhausted, although she had been sleeping much more now. She was no longer afraid of what she was going to see in her dreams. They were more pleasant. Happy, even. But there was no denying that her sudden romantic interest had taken a toll on her studies. She had found herself daydreaming in class now and missing chunks of notes at a time. She was falling behind with her homework and this was the price that she had to pay. Keeping on top of her own homework along with Harry's had proven to be quite tedious.

That wasn't the only thing that was taking a toll on her. Keeping Bellatrix a secret from Harry wasn't as easy as it used to be, not after she had discovered Bella's true feelings. Bella. The simple thought of her name was enough to make her swoon. The power this woman had over her was ridiculous, but Hermione wasn't going to complain. This situation was the last place she would have ever imagined someone like herself to be, but it is what it is. It wasn't the tender, romantic, picture perfect relationship she had pictured herself being in. Not that what she was doing could be considered being in a relationship. Or could it? The specifics were still shaky to her. She was unsure if she'd ever see Bellatrix again. She could only hope that she'd see her, just one more time, and straighten everything out – get her questions answered.

Hermione snapped back to reality when she heard Harry calling her name. Her head shot up from looking down at the book to look at Harry, who was looking at her with much concern. Her eyes were then caught by another moving figure in the common room and when she turned her head to look she saw none other than the Gryffindor Head of House – Professor McGonagall. This couldn't be good. She was sure they were bound to get reamed for being up so late on a Thursday night with a day full of classes looming over them in just a few hours.

"Professor," Hermione said, breathlessly surprised. She looked from McGonagall to Harry and back again. "I'm sorry, I know we shouldn't be up so late – we were just trying to get caught up on our homework but we'll be off to bed in just a few..." she trailed off as she hurriedly began to gather her things, making out her pieces of parchment covered in various essays and books from Harry's.

"Miss Granger. Miss Granger! Calm down!" Professor McGonagall quietly exclaimed. "You are not in trouble, dear! Though I see a bit of sleep would do you some good. But there's no time for that now, you must come with me at once."

Hermione's eyebrows furrowed as she looked up at McGonagall, dropping the things that were in her hands. "Come with you? But why?" Hermione asked, worried about what sort of bad news McGonagall was going to tell her once they had exited the common room. She knew from experience that when she showed up, nothing good could come of it.

"There's no time for explanations now, you'll find out very soon if you'll just come with me," she told her, growing impatient.

Hermione heard the tone of her voice and stood up without question. Harry followed suit and as Hermione began walking forward, so did Harry.

"No, no, Potter. You stay here, go and get some sleep. I do believe you both will be excused from classes tomorrow. You will report to my office once breakfast is through, as will you Miss Granger," she said, looking from Harry to Hermione. "But off to bed for you now, go on. The house elves will tidy this mess up and your books will be waiting for you down here tomorrow." She rested her hand on Hermione's back and ushered her towards the portrait. "Goodnight, Potter," she said hastily as they exited the common room. Hermione glanced back once more at Harry – both of them sharing the same confused look.

"Professor, what is this all about?" Hermione asked once they had left the common room and began walking down the stairs.

"It seems that you have gotten a midnight visitor, Miss Granger," Minerva told her, glancing at her sideways.

"I don't... I don't understand," she said shaking her head.

"Bellatrix Lestrange is in the castle. Down in Professor Snape's quarters. Dumbledore is down there waiting for you to arrive. He called upon me at once and told me to come and get you," she revealed, finally answering Hermione's questions to the full extent.

"Bellatrix," Hermione said breathlessly. Hearing her name made her heart fly. But why was she in the castle? What had she come here for? Why was she in Snape's room? And why was Dumbledore there? So many things were coming across her mind too fast for her mouth to keep up with the questions she had.

"Yes, Bellatrix Lestrange," Minerva replied, sounding a bit surprised. "I know that it's none of my business, but Merlin's beard! You, Miss Granger! I would have expected much more from you," she admitted – more in surprise than disappointment. "But as you are still living and breathing right alongside me, I suppose that maybe there is something other than a black hole inside of her," she continued, her voice taking on a tone that sounded much like disdain.

"Professor!" Hermione scolded, surprising herself for speaking a bit out of line to someone like Professor McGonagall. She supposed that this was changing everything, though. It sounded as if Snape, Dumbledore, and McGonagall had all been informed of her secret life on the side – something dark and forbidden – something that was completely out of character for the overachiever.

"Excuse me, but I'm sure you haven't forgotten the countless horrible things that she has done," Professor McGonagall said with a cold tone.

"How could I forget, Professor? I was there and witnessed her killing Sirius not even a year ago. But people can change and things can be forgiven. Not forgotten, but forgiven," she said quietly as they reached the end of the stairs and started heading for the dungeons.

"Have you told him?" she asked curiously, not being able to help herself from questioning her student after hearing the unbelievable news of what she had been up to.

"No. Not yet. He's never going to forgive me for this," she said, knowing that it was the truth. She couldn't even imagine what Harry's reaction would be once she told him, which she resolved would be in a few hours – before his meeting with Professor McGonagall. She didn't want anyone else to tell him. She would be the first one to inform him of what she had been up to. He would finally get his questions answered and find out the real reason as to why Hermione had been so different and distant that year.

"Ah, but as you just said Miss Granger, things may not be able to be forgotten but they most certainly can be forgiven." She turned her head to look at the young girl with a comforting look in her eyes. It was true, Hermione Granger was wise beyond her years and she couldn't deny that she was the smartest witch of her year. She had never met another who's wits could match Hermione's.

The two reached their destination and Professor McGonagall paused outside of the door that Hermione gathered was Professor Snape's quarters. It seemed as if each of them took a deep breath as they stood there in the silence of the dungeon corridor, the only thing giving light the tiny candles placed along the walls. Professor McGonagall reached out to grasp the doorknob and paused for yet another moment, trying to bide all the time she could before they were to enter into the room that was sure to be buzzing with a hint of total chaos.

"Here we go," she muttered and pulled the door open without knocking. She motioned for Hermione to step inside first and she did so hesitantly, her nerves getting the better of her.

She stepped inside to hushed conversation, three bodies huddled around a small table. Their attention turned to her entrance and all conversation stopped once her presence was known. Professor McGonagall stepped inside shortly after her, quietly closing the door.

"Ah, Miss Granger you have arrived," said an old, familiar voice coming from the figure rising from the table. It was enough to comfort her and calm her nerves down so that she could keep her composure. The simple presence of Dumbledore was enough to calm a person. She had always liked that about him. He always kept himself together, no matter what the situation was.

As Dumbledore walked towards her, her eyes caught a glance to the person behind him slowly rising from the table. The lighting in the room was limited, but there was enough for her to make out the crazed mass of curls atop the woman's head. It was her.

"Minerva, Severus, if you would just step outside into the hallway with me for a moment," he said coolly. "I'm sure there are many questions that Miss Granger has that only Bellatrix can answer. It would be best for us to give them a moment before we resume."

He walked towards the door, contently smiling at Hermione as he passed her. He showed no signs of being angry at her for her secret. His soothing glance calmed Hermione entirely. Professor Snape was another story. He didn't even look at her as he passed her and exited the room, closing the door behind him. She heard him instantly begin to speak once the three were in the hallway, leaving the two lovers by themselves.

"What are you doing here, Bellatrix?" Hermione asked curiously, stepping closer to the table but not daring to get in arm's reach just yet.

Bellatrix was standing at the table, tracing the length of it's edge with her sharp fingernails. "I came to speak with Severus," she answered immediately to Hermione's surprise. She wasn't used to this side of Bellatrix. The human side. The side that wasn't all games, posing riddles as answers or simply answering with a cackling laugh.

"But _why_?" she asked again, stressing her question and taking another step closer to where Bellatrix was standing. She was looking imploringly at the woman, but had not gotten even a glance in return.

"You cannot be this stupid," she said sharply, sounding a bit angry. "You know why. Why else would I come into this stupid castle and come to see... him. Why else would I be sitting around a table with Severus and Dumbledore? Honestly girl, you're really not as smart as everyone thinks, are you?"

Hermione couldn't help but laugh. Her heart was beating out of her chest and her hands were shaking. Bella's unintended comic relief was just the thing she needed. She now dared to close in on the table and stood looking at Bellatrix from across it. She reached across the length of the table and grabbed the wandering hand that had been tracing the wooden table's edge. She held it gently in her own and squeezed tightly for a moment. Bellatrix finally looked up to see Hermione looking back at her.

"Tell me," she whispered, her eyes glistening in the limited light.

All was silent as Bellatrix fought internally against the two sides that had been in battle with each other ever since she realized what she was feeling for the girl. This love, it pained her. She was not used to experiencing something like this, and outwardly displaying it was more difficult than anyone could ever imagine. It caused her physical pain in her stomach as she stood there staring at Hermione, the battle going on inside of her tearing her in two.

"For you." Her voice was not much more than a whisper and it was barely audible. Her lips didn't seem to move as she spoke and her eyes had dropped down to the hand that was being held by Hermione, the young girl's palm resting on top of her pale hand. She lifted her hand which in turn lifted Hermione's and slowly brought her lips to the warm hand that had been holding her own, placing upon it a soft kiss. It was as gentle as she had ever been with Hermione, and Hermione noticed a warm fuzzy feeling in the pit of her stomach as she felt Bella's lips on her hand.

Bellatrix finally pulled her lips away from her hand. Hermione then moved that hand to cup Bella's cheek and their eyes met again.

"Do you know," she began softly, stroking her pale skin with her thumb, "that this is the first time we've ever been in a room together and you haven't threatened to kill me?" A genuinely happy smile was on her face. Bellatrix looked at her with a blank stare and Hermione had almost begun cursing herself for saying such a silly thing when she saw Bella's lips begin to twitch before a small smile grew across them.

"Shut up," she replied, attempting to hide the smile.

"You should know by now, I never do that."

"Are you angry with me? With what I've gone and done tonight?" Bellatrix asked, hoping she'd get the answer she wanted. She honestly did not know why she cared. But she did. She didn't know why she did or said a lot of the things she had been doing lately, but for some reason she couldn't stop herself. And to be honest... she liked it. She liked the small changes she was seeing in herself. She liked the way this girl made her feel. No. She didn't like it. She loved it.

Hermione retracted her arm and walked around the table so that she was nearer to Bellatrix. "Do you honestly think that out of all the things I could choose from to be angry at you for, I'd choose this?" She was in a joking mood, craving laughter and light conversation to escape the heaviness that was surrounding her – that had been surrounding her ever since her first meeting with Bellatrix. She knew that she was nowhere near from escaping it, but a moment's lapse would have to do until Dumbledore decided it was time for their meeting to resume. "I would have never imagined you doing such a thing. It must have taken a lot to come here tonight. But I'm glad you did. I'm glad you're here," she admitted, her hand latching onto Bella's once again. She stepped nearer to Bellatrix, not leaving much space between them. "I've missed you," she finally spat out after arguing with herself on whether or not she should say it. She was afraid to say such sentimental things to her. She could tell that Bellatrix wasn't used to it, and that it made her somewhat uncomfortable. But it didn't change the fact that she had been intensely missing Bellatrix all week.

Bella's eyes had now gained that innocent look that they had during their meeting at the Shrieking Shack. The innocent look of surprise. It was so endearing. Hermione loved it.

"You don't have to say it," she said with a small smile, shaking her head. "I know."

It was now Bella's hand cupping Hermione's cheek and her thumb tenderly crossing it, stroking it lovingly – not violently as she was used to. Hermione leaned into the gentle touch, closing her eyes as she focused on the feeling of Bellatrix stroking her cheek. Without warning her lips were taken up by Bella's in a kiss that she had been longing for ever since she entered the room. She kissed her back with all she had, saying all the things that she wanted to say but was too afraid to put to words. She wrapped her arms around Bella's neck and hugged her closer, wanting to really feel her pressed against her body. The words ran over and over again in her mind. _I love you, I love you, I love you._

Their lips parted and Hermione snatched another small kiss before pulling away. She rested her head on Bella's shoulder. They seemed to fit together perfectly. Hermione silently mouthed those three words as she stood there hugging Bellatrix close to her, Bellatrix rubbing her back with one hand and squeezing her waist tightly with the other.

Their loving embrace was soon interrupted by the opening of the dungeon door, the three professors quietly reentering.

Hermione shot up and away from Bellatrix, an impulse that she could not stop. It was obvious that she was still a bit uncomfortable displaying her affection for the Death Eater in front of them.

Dumbledore caught them parting as he entered the room and greeted Hermione with a wink as he waved his wand and two more chairs appeared. Hermione didn't know if Dumbledore was aware of just how thankful she was for him to be in her life. He made the impossible possible. Look at what he was doing for her. It was unbelievable. He was such a great man, and so giving. She wondered if there was a selfish bone in his body, and a hateful one for that matter. It was clear that even Professor McGonagall was struggling to keep her temper in the presence of Bellatrix. How he did it, she would never know.

"If everyone will sit," Dumbledore began, motioning for everyone to take a seat. "I'm fully aware of all the confusion and everything else that comes along in a unique situation as this, but as it is getting very late I would like to finish this as quickly as possible. We can pick up tomorrow as intended."

Hermione took the seat that had appeared next to Bellatrix and Dumbledore took the seat next to her. Professor McGonagall was across from her and Professor Snape had been left with the seat on the other side of Bellatrix – obviously the least desirable seat around the table.

"As you may or may not be aware," he started, clearly addressing Hermione, "Bellatrix has come tonight asking for our help. There is no doubt that, being in her position, mingling with Voldemort is not the best place for her to be. Although I do not believe it be wise for her to immediately cut off all communication with both Voldemort and the Death Eaters, I have asked Bellatrix to limit herself to only being in his presence when called upon. And she has so kindly agreed." He smiled at the Death Eater, but she showed no smile in return. He sat back in his chair, making himself comfortable, now addressing the entire table.

"This being entirely new, even to me, it seems to be best to take things slow and be cautious. As Professor McGonagall has informed me, Harry is still in the dark about this. Yes?" he asked, turning to Hermione. She nodded in confirmation. "Ah, yes. He shall be the first we meet with early tomorrow morning, along with Mr. Weasley of whom I am assuming has also been excluded from this as well?" He turned once again to Hermione, who nodded again. "Ah, yes. Well. We will meet with them tomorrow morning and fill them in, then. I think then, Molly and Arthur should be informed – I will pay them a short visit. And I'll inform the rest of the Order myself, as I think it would be best. If all goes as well as I'm hoping, a full Order meeting will be next but... we will wait and see how everything goes before we begin discussing that."

He paused for a moment and all was silent as he went around the table, looking at each person that was seated. When he at last reached Hermione, he suddenly stood, a pleased smile on his face. "That is all I have for you tonight, unfortunately. It is late and I am sure you are all very eager to return to your beds. Severus, if you could please escort our guest to where we have discussed I'd be forever grateful."

Professor Snape rose from his seat. "As you wish, Professor," he said politely but was making it no secret that this was an unwanted task. Bellatrix looked from Dumbledore to Hermione and stood without saying a word, following Snape out of the room.

"Minerva, I'd like to thank you for allowing us to interrupt your sleep and for coming on such short notice," he said sincerely as he walked her to the door. "I bid you goodnight," he said while opening it for her.

"Goodnight, Albus. Goodnight Miss Granger," she called as she exited the room.

It was now just Hermione and Dumbledore. She had never really been alone with the Headmaster before. She had no idea what she was supposed to say. She didn't even know what she wanted to say – so many things were running through her mind.

Dumbledore left the door open and turned to look at Hermione with that smile that told her everything would be okay.

"Professor," she began, getting up from her chair and walking around the table so she was nearer to him. "I just wanted to say thank you. One time isn't enough, but I don't think I could say it enough times, really. What you did – what you **are **doing, rather... for me... for us... you really didn't have to."

"You are quite welcome," he said with a silent laugh. "I was young once and can still fondly remember the things love makes one do. I'm aware that Bellatrix would not have come into the castle and asked for Professor Snape's help if she had not meant it. She has made it clear that she is committed to doing whatever it takes. You have had quite an effect on her, Miss Granger."

Hermione couldn't do anything but stand there and blush.

Dumbledore waved his wand once more and all the chairs and the table disappeared. "Come and walk with me."

They exited Professor Snape's quarters and instead of going right which would lead them up into the castle, they went the other way, leaving Hermione unsure of where he was taking her.

"I am not angry with you," he said out of the blue, as if he had been reading her mind. "Far from it. I believe you have done something great for the Order, Hermione. You have heard of the phrase 'love conquers all', yes? Well, this is the perfect case of it. You have given us a powerful ally and lessened Voldemort's ranks. Bellatrix has always been his prized possession, a powerful, ruthless, willing servant for him to use has helped him greatly. Never in my wildest dreams had I thought about the most powerful Death Eater being swayed by the love of a young girl. But then again, it is you we are speaking of, and you should never be underestimated... as I'm sure Bellatrix has found out first hand."

_I am not angry with you_. His words were sweet to her ears. "Th-thank you, Professor Dumbledore," she replied, glancing over to see him smiling and looking sideways at her. "If you don't mind me asking sir, where are you taking me?"

"Ah, yes. After much discussion with Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall we have come to the decision that it may be best for Bellatrix to stay here where it is safe when she is not at Voldemort's disposal. It will be easier for us to keep tabs on her, as I must admit I do not trust her entirely – but I do trust you. Also, the come and go room on the seventh floor seems a bit too far for you to be straying to for your midnight meetings."

Her face was as red as a beet. How was it that Dumbledore always knew everything? Honestly. He never ceased to amaze her.

"Oh, sir. I'm sorry. I know I.. we-"

"No need for apologies as there is nothing to be sorry for." As he finished speaking he came to a sudden halt before a door. She was in a corridor that she had never been in before. There were hushed voices coming from behind the door.

"Always bickering, those two. Even when they were students at Hogwarts. I swear to you, they could be siblings."

He had spoken to her as if she was one of them – an adult. She realized that tonight, her relationship with these three would be forever changed. She now was one of them. An adult. She was trusting them with her secrets and in turn, they would be trusting her with theirs. A friend. A confidante. It was much further than student-teacher as it had been in the past. During this realization a smile crept across her face. This wasn't something to be ashamed of, this was something to be proud of. Dumbledore had even told her just before that there was no need to apologize for anything. In fact, HE was proud of her. That was all the validation she needed.

"And this is where our journey ends for tonight. If you just give me a moment I will retrieve Severus and we will be off to bed ourselves."

Dumbledore softly knocked before opening the door. His appearance was enough for Professor Snape to realize it was time to take his leave. He left the room first, glaring at Hermione as he walked past her and down the corridor. Dumbledore followed shortly after, leaving the door open behind him as he exited the room.

"Goodnight Miss Granger. I will see you tomorrow morning." One last smile and he set off down the corridor after Professor Snape, leaving Hermione to enter Bella's room. She did so after she watched him turn down the hallway they had just traveled, disappearing from sight.

Bellatrix was sitting on the bed, facing the door, her gaze down at the floor. Hermione leaned against the doorway, looking at her. She wasn't sure if Bellatrix was aware that she was there. She cleared her throat and Bellatrix shot up from the bed surprised at the sudden noise in the room.

"Oh, it's you," she said quietly, seating herself back down on the bed. "You okay?" Hermione asked, closing the door and sitting down on the bed next to Bellatrix.

"Fine," she replied.

"What were you arguing about? With him. Snape."

"Nothing. It's foolish. He's foolish. Always thinking he knows everything," she vaguely explained, hissing in anger as she spoke.

"Thank you," she said, trying to get Bellatrix to forget about her altercation with Snape. Although Bellatrix had done a great thing for her tonight, she was still quite scary when she was angry. Hermione was still a stranger to her habits – she was still as unpredictable as ever and Hermione didn't know what to expect from her at this point.

"Yeah," she replied, as close to 'you're welcome' as she would ever get. "No matter about that now. I'm here, aren't I?" She glanced at the girl next to her. "It's getting late, though. Shouldn't you be heading back to your common room?"

"Actually... I was sort of wondering if I could spend the night. Y'know.. here.. with you. If that's okay."

Bellatrix laughed at how nervous Hermione was. It was kind of cute.

"You're afraid of me, aren't you?" she asked, smirking. Hermione didn't answer, her smile only got wider. "You are!" she exclaimed, nudging Hermione's shoulder with her own. "Well then you'll be happy to hear I'm harmless, the old bat convinced Dumbledore to take my wand before she went and got you. So you're safe. For now."

"You know, I really like this." Hermione said sliding back so she could sit indian style on the bed and face Bellatrix.

"Like what, exactly?" She leaned back on her hands, looking up at the ceiling before turning her head to look at Hermione.

"Oh, you know. You. Acting like a human being. I didn't know you had it in you. For a while I wasn't sure you even knew what a joke was!" She bent forward as she spoke, getting in Bella's face.

"Very funny," Bellatrix shot back, standing up from the bed and clearing her throat. Her back was facing Hermione and she was gathering up her hair and holding it in a bun. "Come and make yourself useful."

Hermione stood up and placed her hands on Bella's back. The entirety of her black dress was corseted in the back, a confusing web of ribbon that seemed to go on forever.

"You going to get on with it, then? Or are you going to stand there for a while longer and gawk a bit more?" Bellatrix teased.

"I'm not gawking," she told her, sounding a bit defensive. "I've just... never done this before and it's all a bit confusing, is all."

"Well I take it you know how to tie your own shoes, yes? And untie them as well?" Bellatrix continued on, teasing her still.

Hermione's brows furrowed and she grabbed the dangling piece of the ribbon and tugged on it hard. Bellatrix had to brace herself so she did not fall backwards into Hermione. The bow that the ribbon had been making had been undone. Bellatrix could feel the corset loosen already, giving her more breathing room. She made an audible sigh of relief and brought her right hand to rest upon her hip, her left being busy with holding her hair up. She closed her eyes and cocked her head to the left, letting it rest against the hand on her head. "Much better," she quietly told Hermione, instantly feeling more relaxed. "Now just loosen it a bit so I can get out of here."

Hermione did as she was told and pinched each little "x" that the ribbon made down Bella's back, giving it a tug. "Bloody hell, I have no idea how you manage in this thing," she said as she tugged on the last one. She traced her finger down the small of Bella's back, sliding it over the smooth black ribbon as she went. Bellatrix let go of her hair, the mass of curls falling around her face. Her arm dropped down and she turned around so that she was facing the girl.

Bellatrix pushed Hermione onto the bed with more force than necessary. Hermione sat upright on the bed, her mouth open. She had begun to speak, but Bellatrix climbed onto the bed and straddled her. Before she could get a word out her lips were caught in a hasty kiss. Bellatrix's hand that was placed upon Hermione's hip began to move up her stomach, over her breast and back down again. Hermione whimpered into the kiss when Bellatrix slipped her hand underneath her shirt, inching her way further up her stomach. Just as her fingernails had made their way under her bra, Hermione pulled out of the kiss.

"We really shouldn't," she told Bellatrix, her chest heaving up and down, trying to make up for the oxygen her body had been denied during the kiss.

"Shh," was all Bellatrix said and she moved in to pay some attention to Hermione's neck.

"No, Bellatrix. I'm being serious." It took some honest effort on her part to sit upright with Bellatrix on top of her. The dark haired witch pulled away from her neck and looked at her furiously with her nostrils flaring.

"What? What is it?" she asked angrily, her curls bobbing in Hermione's face as she spoke. She sat back, taking the pressure off her knees and transferring her weight so that she was now seated upon Hermione's lap.

"It's just that it's late. We should really get some sleep and with all that's going on now I just... don't think it would be too wise. And I mean. It's really all we've done. Don't you want to... I don't know... simply spend some time together? Talk. Do something else?" she quickly explained. She knew Bellatrix was getting angrier and more frustrated with every second that passed.

"You can't be serious," she hissed. She never did fare well when she was denied something that she wanted.

She swung her leg around so she could get off of Hermione. She stood up from the bed and stared down at the girl, her loosened corset now made her dress unbelievably revealing, showing off her busty cleavage and the porcelain white tops of her round breasts. Hermione's eyes dropped to the beautiful sight and lingered before she spoke again.

"Yes. I'm serious," she huffed.

"After all the shit I've put myself through tonight – for YOU – and now you don't even want to fuck me? Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable." Her voice rose as she spoke and Hermione flinched at her foul mouth.

"You! Calling me unbelievable? Honestly Bellatrix, you should be the last one to speak!"

Hermione had gone and done it. Bellatrix growled in fury and rushed towards Hermione. She grabbed her by the throat and squeezed tight enough to obstruct Hermione's breathing. Just enough for it to hurt. Her face was dangerously close to Hermione's, who was now gasping for air, fighting to fill her lungs with oxygen.

Bellatrix's lips were quivering and Hermione could feel her fingers trembling around her neck. She was looking at Hermione with that crazed look of hers, and it was enough to make Hermione afraid.

A low, foreign noise came from Bellatrix and her grasp tightened around Hermione's neck. A second later she roughly threw her back and she made a loud gasping noise as she hit the bed.

"Damn it!" Bellatrix screamed and walked towards the door. Once she reached it she did not go out of it, but began pacing the length of the room.

Hermione sat up and watched as Bellatrix paced, looking crazed as she did the first time she had met her. About the seventh or eighth time across the room, Bellatrix ceased when she had reached the door. She pounded both her hands against it with a frustrated grunt. She was now bracing herself against the door. Hermione heard repeated thudding noises coming from where she was standing and saw that she was now repeatedly hitting her forehead off of the wood.

The young girl sighed and rose from the bed. She wasn't quite sure if she would ever get used to this – the way Bellatrix functioned. And was she always going to be afraid of getting in a fight with her? Afraid of her violent tendencies? She knew that Bellatrix had changed. She witnessed it first-hand. But someone like Bellatrix could only change so much.

She quietly walked over to where she was standing, being extremely cautious. A shaky hand reached out and was placed upon Bella's shoulder.

"Don't," she instantly ordered the moment she felt the heat of her hand. The thudding had stopped.

Hermione knew this game. She had played it at their last meeting in Hogsmeade. She wouldn't shy away. A caring hand was what Bellatrix needed, whether she wanted it or not.

She removed her hand from Bellatrix's shoulder, but now wrapped her arms around her waist. She squeezed her arms tightly around Bellatrix and hugged her tightly. She pressed her lips repeatedly against the back of Bellatrix's neck.

Bellatrix struggled to escape Hermione, but it was futile. The more she fought, the tighter she held her.

She let her hands fall from the door, her right hand resting on the arms around her waist. She wrenched Hermione's left arm off of her and brought the palm of her hand to her lips. She kissed it over and over again. Bellatrix kissed the pads of her fingers and ran them over her bottom lip.

Hermione moved her kisses from the back of Bella's neck to her bare shoulder. She stood on her toes so that her lips were near to Bellatrix's ear. She nipped at her earlobe, to which Bellatrix responded to by biting down on her thumb.

"Come to bed," Hermione whispered, placing a few kisses on her shoulder before fully pulling away.

Bellatrix dropped Hermione's hand and turned around to face her. The whites of her eyes were a pale pink color and there was a bright red mark in the middle of her forehead. Hermione gave her a small smile and grabbed her hand, leading her over to the bed. She crawled onto it first and pulled Bellatrix down so that she was next to her.

Bellatrix laid on her side and propped her head up with her arm so she could look at Hermione, who was looking up at her. She reached up and brushed the hair out of her face. Her thumb ran over her forehead, rubbing the red mark she had made from hitting her head against the door.

"You are beautiful," Hermione said, no longer afraid to tell Bellatrix that sort of thing whenever it crossed her mind. Bellatrix needed to hear it. She deserved to be told she was beautiful and so much more. Hermione knew that things of that sort had been void from Bella's life for much too long. She had made that evident in her earlier episode. "You are absolutely beautiful," she told her again. _Say it. Say it. SAY IT_. "And..." Hermione began but trailed off and looked away from her.

"And what?" Her voice was quiet but coarse.

"And I love you."

Hermione looked at her after she had said it. It had been so easy, saying it just like that.

She knew Bellatrix wasn't going to say it back. She didn't know if she'd ever hear those three words come from her lips. She couldn't deny that hearing it would be the greatest thing for her, but what Bellatrix had done for her already was enough to assure her that her love was not unrequited.

Hermione leaned up and kissed Bellatrix. When she broke the kiss she looked at her, smiling with her eyes, silently telling her it was okay. That she understood.

"Let's get some sleep, hmm?" Hermione suggested after a particularly long yawn.

"Hmm?" Bellatrix had still been in the trance that was brought upon by the... thing that the girl had said. "Oh, right. Yes. Goodnight," she said awkwardly, feeling uncomfortable for the first time in years. Working under the Dark Lord had prepared her for many things, but this was not one of them.

"Goodnight," said Hermione, rolling over onto her stomach to get comfortable.

Bellatrix got up from the bed to turn off the lamp that was sitting on the desk in her new room. She returned to the bed and to the same position she had been in before. Sleep seemed foreign to her. She never did much of that.

Her hand traveled through the darkness to find Hermione. She placed her hand on her back and began rubbing it lightly. Out of habit, she slid it underneath Hermione's shirt and traced her nails up and down her side.

Hermione felt this and smiled. She sighed contently and closed her eyes, a smile still on her face as she slowly drifted off to sleep.

_I love you, I love you, I love you_.


End file.
